Chinese Incense Culture

For over a thousand years, Chinese incense has been used to purify, purify and relax. During this time, it has been considered one of the highest quality incense varieties in the world.

 

Join us to learn about the history, uses and types of Chinese incense. You'll discover where to buy the best Chinese incense for yourself, including in incense stores, as well as destinations within China that have thousands of years of history.

 

Incense is a natural aromatic material, such as bark or herbs, that emits fragrant smoke when burned. Today, it can be purely natural or man-made. The Chinese word for incense is (香). The same kanji used to translate the word as smell or fragrance.

 

The professional makers of Zhenglong began creating their own incense, honing and perfecting an already ancient process. Combining ancient and modern techniques, an industry dedicated to high quality incense using only the best traditional ingredients was born.

 

Chinese incense is often made using sandalwood, incense, resin and/or essential oils. Some incense is made from purely plant-based ingredients; others contain fragrance oils and dyes certified by the International Flavor and Fragrance Association (IFRA).

 

Incense woods incense and sandalwood are the main components of Chinese incense. These trees secrete an aromatic resin that turns into (incense wood) over time. Incense is a highly valuable because of its high oil content and superior fragrance.

 

In fact, many of the trees and herbs used to make incense are becoming increasingly rare and therefore more expensive due to depleted resources. Only the most avid incense lovers and connoisseurs seek out these priceless varieties.

 

 

Like other types of incense, the Chinese version has countless uses. It is burned for religious rituals, meditation, aromatherapy, relaxation, fumigation, cleansing, perfumery, or simply to provide a pleasant scent, much like the use of peperomia and essential oils in the West.

 

In the past, incense was lit in the home to help with fumigation or as an insect repellent. Everyone from royalty to commoners used incense to purify the body and mind.

 

Incense is still believed to purify religious spaces and the mind. Scent has a close connection with the brain, especially with memory, so getting into the habit of burning incense during prayer or meditation is an excellent way to access the right mental space.

 

Read and go back to the established practice of gram to prepare and enjoy incense. Typically, a small piece of incense wood is heated on a small plate heated from below by charcoal. This is all kept in a small ceramic incense burner. Various other tools are used to prepare and incense the game. To experience something like kodogu for yourself, check out this incense listening class in Kyoto.

 

There are two main types of incense in China.

incense: heating or smothering small pieces of incense wood

Yaki incense: direct burning incense made from paste in the form of a stick or cone

 

Heating incense involves heating the aromatic material over a piece of hot charcoal embedded in the ashes. The use of this method produces a mild smoke that is almost invisible. After use, the aromatic material is scorched, but there are no ashes. Incense and sandalwood both fall into this category.

 

When using burning incense, the incense material is burned directly. This type of smoke is more intense and is able to cover a larger area. At the end of the burning process, the incense turns into ashes. Burning incense includes stick incense as well as incense made from natural plant binders such as the ground bark of forbidden trees.

 

The third category involves incense that enjoys a raw form that is not burned or heated. This type usually comes in powder form or as incense pieces wrapped in a sachet.

 

Each type is used for a different purpose. For example, are made of chopped and mixed aromatic materials for fumigation and cleaning large spaces.

 

Binder-based incense dominates the incense pillar market in Japan. It is made by mixing binder powder with powdered fragrances and water. Inexpensive stick incense can be made by forming a binder stick and dipping it into synthetic essential oils. More expensive versions are usually pure blends of premium aromatic materials mixed with 10% or less binder.