The life arts such as flower arrangement, tea drinking, chess playing, and incense burning all originated in China, forming a colorful part of the secular culture of the Han nationality. And Chinese incense culture is everywhere: burning incense is an important part of Chinese folk life. Incense needs to be burned for ancestral worship, for various gods and Buddhas, in temples, and even in toilets; during festivals and on ordinary days. As a kind of life sentiment, burning and appreciating incense has always been the highest spiritual enjoyment pursued by literati and elegant people, so they burn incense under the moon, with incense burners, with flowers, with beauties, while playing the lute, while reading books... Burning and appreciating incense as a luxury has existed since ancient times. The scholar-official class in China can be said to be the earliest group in Chinese history who understood the luxurious taste of life. In ancient times, the study of incense appreciation was also a symbol of nobility and luxury, and in ancient China, there was a special incense appreciation culture called "Incense Way".
When it comes to incense burning, Aquilaria cannot be ignored. Aquilaria is at the top of all kinds of incense in the world. It is commonly said that the four top fragrances in the world are "Aquilaria, sandalwood, dragon's brain, and musk", and Aquilaria leads the pack. Aquilaria is also the most brilliant pearl in Chinese incense culture. Aquilaria has a high and elegant fragrance, and is very rare, so it has been listed as the top of all fragrances since ancient times. The aroma of Aquilaria is unpredictable and naturally formed. Even in today's developed science, it is one of the few natural fragrances that still cannot be artificially synthesized and replicated. Its preciousness and mystery are self-evident. Aquilaria, as the "Number One Fragrance in the World", is slowly formed in a special environment over hundreds or thousands of years through wind, rain, fungal parasitism, and other effects. Its fragrance may be pure, strong, sweet, soft, and long-lasting. Its noble elegance not only pleases the mind but also has magical medical value.
Because Aquilaria is extremely precious, the ancients had a complete set of incense-smelling ceremonies when appreciating Aquilaria, generally going through several procedures: First, light the charcoal, ignite the incense charcoal, let the charcoal burn through slowly until it turns completely red; Second, loosen the incense ash, burn the pine needles into ash, pile them up inside the incense burner; Third, bury the charcoal, bury the fiery red incense charcoal in the pile of incense ash; Fourth, cut the incense, cut the Aquilaria to be appreciated into small pieces; Fifth, place the incense, place the mica sheet (silver leaf) on the incense ash buried in the incense burner, then place the Aquilaria wood slice on the mica sheet to burn incense; Sixth, appreciate the incense, lower your head and bring your nose close to the incense burner, slowly inhale to appreciate the incense; Seventh, record, each time you appreciate the incense, you can record the characteristics of the fragrance of different incense materials, which can无形中提升 your own incense appreciation and identification skills.