29 Nov 2024
At?the end of this Autumn, the Chinese Language Division of the School of Languages at XJTLU, in collaboration with the Yi Ye Chen Xiang student club, organised an event on Chinese incense culture and the making of incense pendants, to "Sew Autumn Orchids as Wears." The activity gathered Chinese and international students at XJTLU to experience the colourful and fragrant world of incense culture.
Zhang Laoshi, the instructor from Xin Yu Zhai and the advisor to the student club, prepared incense powder for each participant, blending natural spices such as agarwood, cinnamon, frankincense, and osmanthus. Zhang Laoshi first guided everyone in adding water to the powder and kneading it into a dough-like consistency.
During the clay-awakening period, Zhang Laoshi introduced the development of incense culture both in China and abroad. Participants could closely examine incense-making materials, such as agarwood from Hainan, osmanthus from Suzhou, sandalwood from India, myrrh from the Middle East, and handmade incense sticks. The images below show the shapes of incense burners from China and abroad, dating back to B.C., illustrating the widespread exchange of incense culture along the Silk Road.
After completing the clay process, students chose their preferred moulds—such as Chinese character patterns, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, butterflies, and others. They then moulded, shaped, and polished the incense pendants, successfully creating their first incense pieces to take home.
At the end of the activity, the students felt it was a unique experience. The incense clay made from natural spices is fresh and pleasant, and the handmade process is exciting and interesting. The incense pendants can be dried naturally within a week to a month, and then they can be carried around, which is chic and lovely. Incense plays an important role in world trade, and making, wearing and lighting incense has been a way of life for Chinese and foreign literati since ancient times. It was a great pleasure for Chinese and international students at XJTLU to appreciate and talk about incense together and connect with history, culture, and natural plants and trees in this way. ??
29 Nov 2024