Color: The Natural History of Colors and Its Relation to Social Development of Mankind

You may have seen a video like this online: people who was born colorblind received a surprise gift -- a pair of glasses that correct colorblindness. The moment they put on the glasses, they immediately burst into tears. They never imagined that the world, which had always seemed monotone, was actually colorful.

This reaction reflects the most primitive human emotion. Human's administration for colors can be traced back to the mysterious cave paintings done by our ancestors who lived in ancient times. Throughout human history, people have racked their brains for how to extract various colors from flowers, ore, and even corpses. People's desire for color has a rich and long history/ Carmine was once a prized item on the luxury market in Europe; the competition for indigo caused conflicts between countries. It is difficult to imagine that the British Empire on which "the sun never sets" was once shaken by mere pigments. Because people are so obsessed with color, it seems reasonable for some countries to protect their dying-making techniques, even if they need to use force...