Long before anyone knew what DNA looked like, an ancient Chinese image showed two serpentine bodies twisting into a form that looks uncannily familiar today, a double helix. The figures are Fuxi and Nüwa, primordial beings associated with the emergence of human life and the ordering of the cosmos. Fuxi is linked to the Bagua and patterns of transformation in nature, while Nüwa is associated with the creation of humanity and the restoration of the cosmos. Their intertwined bodies express a deeper cosmological idea. Life and order emerge through relationship. Two complementary forces remain distinct while forming one continuous pattern. The symbolism centers on generation, complementarity and continuity. The intertwined form makes this principle visible through two strands moving together and creating a single living structure. Seen through modern eyes, the resemblance to the double helix is striking. Both express continuity through an interwoven structure. Image source: “Fuxi and Nüwa” (mid-8th century), anonymous. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Version checked: 4 April 2010. License checked: 22 September 2026 - Public Domain.