Ignite an ancient Dunhuang incense, the rising clouds of smoke linger, and the clear and soothing aroma makes people refreshed, as if traveling through a thousand years.
Lu Wen, the fifth-generation non-genetic inheritor of incense-making skills in Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province, lit a pile of incense and introduced that in Dunhuang murals, pictures of incense burners are not uncommon, and they mostly appear on Buddhist occasions such as shaving, ceremonies, and invitations. , it can be seen that the incense burner plays an important role in Buddhism.
So what does the ancients smell like?
By chance, Lu Wen, who was born in a family of traditional Chinese medicine, came into contact with incense making. In order to "return" these thousand-year-old scents to modern life, Lu Wen frequently went to Dunhuang for more than ten years to find "incense prescriptions". Through communication with experts and searching for Dunhuang literature According to historical records, five or six types of Dunhuang ancient incense are restored every year.
The process of making incense in Dunhuang ancient incense is cumbersome and complicated, and some incense can take up to a year from picking to processing.
However, the finished incense sticks that have survived for thousands of years, whether it is a study room, a tea house, a meditation retreat, or a desk office, are all suitable for it.
Although every time I decipher Dunhuang incense recipes, I am surprised, but making incense is still a niche profession.
The road ahead alone is full of hardships, and Lu Wen also hopes that more fans will participate in it and regain the "Millennium Fragrance" together.
Reporter Gao Ying Feng Zhijun
Responsible editor: [Ji Xiang]