Incense in China

The sinologist and historian Edward H. Schafer said that in medieval China: there was little clear-cut distinction among drugs, spices, perfumes, and incenses – that is, among substances which nourish the body and those which nourish the spirit, those which attract a lover and those which attract a divinity.The earliest vessels identified as censers date to the mid-fifth to late fourth centuries BCE during the Warring States period.

Early Chinese censer designs, often crafted as a round, single-footed stemmed basin, are believed to have derived from earlier ritual bronzes, such as the dou 豆 sacrificial chalice.

Among the most celebrated early incense burner designs is the hill censer (boshanlu 博山爐), a form that became popular during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE).

These elaborate vessels were designed with apertures that made rising incense smoke appear like clouds or mist swirling around a mountain peak.

Very large censers, sometimes made to resemble ancient ritual bronze vessels, are often placed in the courtyards of Buddhist and Daoist temples.

For instance, according to the Bencao Gangmu pharmacopoeia, "camphor cured evil vapors in heart and belly, and was especially recommended for eye troubles, including cataract.

[7] The poet Yu Jianwu (庾肩吾, 487–551) first recorded them: "By burning incense we know the o'clock of the night, With graduated candles we confirm the tally of the watches.

[11] The Chinese developed a sophisticated art form with incense burning like with tea and calligraphy called xiangdao (香道).

pubescens (茅竹,江南竹) since this species produces thick wood and easily burns to ashes in the incense stick.