Chinanews.com, Taiyuan, February 10th, title: The ancient method of making incense for nearly 20 years, the non-heritage inheritors guard the "Chinese fragrance" with ingenuity
Author Yang Jing
Incense ornaments, balm, Yanju incense... In traditional Chinese culture, incense culture has always occupied an important place.
In recent years, traditional fragrances have gradually re-entered the public eye in the form of cultural and creative products.
Xing Xiaoxiu, the fifth-generation inheritor of Yuanxiang's traditional incense making skills in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, believes that only by applying intangible cultural heritage items to life can they be better passed on.
On the 10th, when I walked into the Jinxiang Museum in Taishan, Taiyuan, Shanxi, I was greeted with a faint aroma mixed with herbs, which was fresh and not sticky.
I saw Xing Xiaoxiu taking out different spices from the jar, mixing them, mixing them and grinding... After a while, a sachet of incense sticks was ready.
Xing Xiaoxiu's incense production has always followed the "ancestral skills" and used ancient methods to make incense.
Photo by Yang Jing
Xing Xiaoxiu's incense production has always followed the "ancestral skills" and used ancient methods to make incense.
His great-grandfather, who was founded by Hu Qingtang Xiangyao in 1858, has been making pain-relieving and relieving incense ointment, and his great-grandfather made incense into small fragrant pills.
"Aroma medicines have been from the same source since ancient times, and the materials have many similarities." Xing Xiaoxiu said that since 2004, she has followed her mother to systematically learn the knowledge of traditional aromatherapy and the combination of ancestral aromatherapy.
In 2017, Xing Xiaoxiu inherited Hu Qingtang Xiangyao and founded "Yuanxiang Society".
From 1858 to the present, five generations of inheritors have inherited Yuanxiang's traditional incense making skills from generation to generation.
"The raw materials are all kinds of natural spices such as herbs, minerals, and flowers. After manual grinding and blending, they are made into traditional fragrances for skin application, wearing, infection, and drinking."
According to Xing Xiaoxiu, based on the principle of "fragrance nourishes the nose, nourishes the mind and health, and opens up one's mind and wisdom", the production of Yuanxiang's traditional incense products includes establishing incense recipes, selecting incense materials, processing incense materials, grinding and sieving, weighing and blending incense, adding water, There are twelve processes in total, such as blending incense mud, awaking incense, rubbing incense mud, polishing and carving, cellaring, and packaging.
The production of traditional incense products in Yuanxiang involves a total of twelve processes, including establishing the incense recipe, selecting the incense materials, processing the incense materials, grinding and sieving, weighing and combining the incense.
Photo by Yang Jing
"Before cellaring, it takes about a week to make the finished product. After cellaring for more than 6 months, the aroma is mellow and the effect is remarkable before it can be packaged, sold and used." Xing Xiaoxiu told reporters that every step of making incense is very important, interlocking. "Sometimes, even according to my fragrance recipe and proportion, everyone's taste may not be exactly the same."
In addition to making some traditional incense products, imitating and restoring ancestral incense beads and incense accessories, Xing Xiaoxiu has been constantly seeking innovation in recent years.
"Many cultural and creative products have been produced. Combined with the characteristics of the scenic spot, we have made bird statue sachets for Shanxi Museum, DIY incense sets for the National Library, and smoked some traditional decorative incense paintings with natural spices after burning."
In addition, Xing Xiaoxiu has been following relevant departments for a long time in communities, campuses, scenic spots and other places for incense culture training, skill exhibitions and other activities.
During the epidemic prevention and control period in 2020, Xing Xiaoxiu made a batch of anti-epidemic incense sticks and donated them to medical workers in Taiyuan City.
Yuanxiang’s traditional incense making skills have now become the third batch of special professional ability assessment projects of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security. Xing Xiaoxiu is the examiner of the project. It is conducive to the popularization of incense culture and production techniques, and helps us to carry out inheritance work better."
Yuanxiang's traditional incense making skills have now become the third batch of special vocational ability assessment items of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security.
Photo by Yang Jing
At present, Xing Xiaoxiu has 6 apprentices. In her opinion, apprentices are easy to get, but it is difficult to train a good apprentice.
"Interest comes first, and a certain cultural foundation is also required. At the same time, making incense is a skill that requires slow work and careful work, and requires dedication and patience."
As an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, Xing Xiaoxiu feels that it is a mission to stick to the inheritance of this project.
"Traditional culture is accumulated over a long period of time. Although I have encountered bottlenecks in carrying out specific work, I believe that after a certain level of accumulation, I will see results." Xing Xiaoxiu believes that the production and application of traditional fragrances have a promising future.
Xing Xiaoxiu believes that the development prospects of the production and application of traditional fragrances can be expected.
Photo by Yang Jing
"I hope to get support from the government in terms of exhibitions, publicity and popularization." Xing Xiaoxiu said: "Relying on the Jinxiang Museum, we will continue to publicize and promote, use incense to protect the spirit of intangible cultural heritage, keep national self-confidence, and keep cultural roots." (End )