Taoism has had a dynamic nature, moving from academic to popular and back again throughout its history. During the Han it became popular among the peasant class. It was felt that the time had come to have a rapid change in government and that Taoism and its teachers should now replace Confucianism as the central tenet of the state. They led several rebellions during the Eastern Han and the first three states. The largest was the Yellow Turban Rebellion. They were dispersed and took refuge in the western mountains. Here they developed a strong sense of Qi and gave birth to celestial masters. They attempted to perfectly balance Qi to achieve immortality. To do this they began to learn alchemy and experimented with diets. They would lead to many of China's discoveries in medicine and chemistry, including gunpowder during the Song Dynasty. During the three-state period they became more intellectually based and focused less on communal living. They became popular among wealthier families and filled the educational niche left by the loss of state scholars. Many new schools and temples were opened throughout China. It was stronger in the west and south. Many parts of Buddhist theology were first translated through Taoist scriptures, and many considered both