Answer first: for a reading list of Chinese incense culture(香学) classics, arranging it in three levels is the easiest — for entry level, read the two Song dynasty treatises plus selected readings from Xiang Cheng (Hong Chu's Xiang Pu, Chen Jing's Chen Shi Xiang Pu); for intermediate level, read five Ming dynasty works on life aesthetics (Tu Long's Fenxiang Qi Yao, Gao Lian's Zunsheng Bajian, Wen Zhenheng's Zhang Wu Zhi, Tao Gu's Qing Yi Lu, Dong Ruoyu's Lie Xiang Xin Pu); for research, go on to Song dynasty geographical records and materia medica (Ding Wei's Tianxiang Zhuan, Lingwai Daida, Zhufan Zhi, and relevant entries in Bencao Gangmu). The recommended reading order is: first read incense stories, then read incense identification, and finally read incense formula compatibility — do it the other way around, and most people will get stuck at the first hurdle.
Key points
- Three entry-level books: Hong Chu's Xiang Pu, Chen Jing's Chen Shi Xiang Pu, Zhou Jiazhou's Xiang Cheng (selected readings).
- Five intermediate books: Tu Long's Fenxiang Qi Yao, Gao Lian's Zunsheng Bajian, Wen Zhenheng's Zhang Wu Zhi, Tao Gu's Qing Yi Lu, Dong Ruoyu's Lie Xiang Xin Pu.
- Research level: Ding Wei's Tianxiang Zhuan, Lingwai Daida, Zhufan Zhi, and the incense-medicine entries in the materia medica system.
- Reading order: incense stories → incense products → incense formulas. First stories, then materials, and finally compatibility.
- For editions, prioritize annotated collated editions and public-domain facsimiles; do not treat online reposts as the original text.
| Book title | Author · Era | How to read | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiang Pu | Hong Chu · Northern Song | Read through once, focusing on "Xiang Zhi Pin" | People who want to trace the source |
| Chen Shi Xiang Pu | Chen Jing · late Song to early Yuan | Use as a reference book, and read the incense stories as well | People who want to look up allusions and formulas |
| Xiang Cheng | Zhou Jiazhou · Ming | Selected readings: Volume 1, Volume 9, and after Volume 21 | For those who want to build a complete framework |
Hong Chu, Xiangpu (Treatise on Incense)It is the earliest extant systematic monograph on incense culture(香学) (the original text suffered losses during transmission; current editions are mostly based on collectanea such as Baichuan Xuehai). Its value lies in "establishing categories"—the qualities of incense, the anomalies of incense, incense-related matters, and incense methods; these four outlines supported incense culture(香学) writing for the following six hundred years. It is not long; it can be finished in a weekend.
Chen Jing, Chenshi Xiangpu (Chen's Treatise on Incense)In four volumes, it gathers incense matters from the Han and Tang dynasties onward and is a database of Song-Yuan incense culture(香学). This book need not be read straight through; consult it as needed. It has two uses: checking the source of a certain allusion, and finding the original records of a certain type of incense formula.
Zhou Jiazhou, Xiangcheng (Incense Compendium)In twenty-eight volumes, it is the largest and most systematically complete comprehensive work on incense culture(香学) in ancient China. At the introductory stage, it need not be read in full:Start with Volume 1 (Agarwood from Various Countries), look at the ancients' natural-history perspective in Volume 9 (Ambergris), and choose a few incense formulas from Volume 21 onward to read. This site has the completeannotated translation of all twenty-eight volumes, which can be navigated by volume and is easier than holding the original book.
Tu Long, Fenxiang Qi Yao (Seven Essentials of Incense Burning)(Ming): It specifically discusses the seven items of furniture and equipment needed for burning incense, and is an extremely practical "guide to incense-seat implements." Those who want to set up an incense seat should read this one first.
Gao Lian, Zunsheng Bajian · Yanxian Qingshang Jian (Eight Discourses on the Art of Living · Discourses on Leisurely Appreciation)(Ming): It places incense within the life aesthetics of "leisure, appreciation, and cultivation," and discusses how incense appears throughout a day. Reading it makes one understand: the ancients' use of incense was not ritual performance, but daily life. We have another article"The Incense Life in Zunsheng Bajian"that expands on this specifically.
Wen Zhenheng, Zhangwuzhi · Xiangming (Treatise on Superfluous Things · Incense and Tea)(Ming): The final volume of twelve, it places incense alongside tea, discusses incense burners with the principle that "appreciation and daily use should be kept separate," and establishes three principles: "prefer the ancient over the trendy, prefer the plain over the clever, prefer frugality over vulgarity." This is a lesson in aesthetics. For further reading, see"Close Reading of the Incense Implements Chapter in Zhangwuzhi"。
Tao Gu, Qingyilu · Xunliao Men (Record of the Clear and Strange · The Incense-Burning Section)(Song): A note-form work recording incense anecdotes and strange tales; it is the most delightful to read. The wonder of Song dynasty notes lies in their lack of pretension; the true face of many incense matters is not recorded in official histories but only in notes.
Dong Ruoyu, Liexiang Xinpu (New Treatise on Hunting Incense)(Ming): Late Ming writers on incense, carrying a trace of the unruly spirit of Ming loyalists. Short in length, it belongs to the 'afterglow after finishing the first four books.'
What these five books share is:None of them discuss the incense materials themselves; they discuss the relationship between people and incense.After reading them, your understanding of Chinese incense culture(香学) will shift from 'knowledge of aromatics' to 'a way of life.'
Ding Wei, Tianxiang Zhuan (Biographies of Heavenly Incense)(Song): Written by Ding Wei during his exile in Hainan, it specifically records Hainan agarwood and is one of the earliest regional monographs in Chinese incense culture(香学). The classification passage 'there are four types of incense… their forms number twelve' comes from this book. For agarwood research, Tianxiang Zhuan is unavoidable.
Zhou Qufei, Lingwai Daida (Answers from Beyond the Ridge); Zhao Rugua, Zhufan Zhi (Records of Foreign Peoples)(Song): Two works on overseas geography and trade, recording the origins, transport, and maritime trade system of aromatics. To understand 'where incense comes from and how it gets here,' read these two. Zhao Rugua once served as Superintendent of Maritime Trade, so his records carry an official perspective and are highly reliable.
Relevant entries in Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica)(Ming, Li Shizhen): Entries on aromatic medicinals within the materia medica system, with a perspective entirely different from incense catalogs—the same agarwood is discussed in terms of nature, flavor, and meridian attribution in a materia medica, but in terms of origin and grade in an incense catalog.The two discourses should be read separately; do not mix them.
In addition, there are many monographs on Chinese incense culture published in recent decades as well as collated editions of Xiangcheng (Incense Multiplication); simply choose reputable publications with annotations and noted source texts.
Stage one: read stories.Begin with incense anecdotes and literati notes—Qingyi Lu (Records of the Pure and Strange) and the incense anecdote sections of Xiangcheng, volumes 12 to 16. The goal at this stage is 'interest'; do not rush to memorize the names of aromatics.
Stage two: read incense products.Move on to aromatic material catalogs—Xiangcheng volumes 1 to 7, the 'Types of Incense' section of the Hong catalog, and the incense products volume of the Chen catalog. At this stage you must get hands-on: find physical specimens to read alongside, and after smelling agarwood, reading 'sinking grade' will be understood completely differently.
Stage three: read incense formulas.Only then comes blending—Xiangcheng from volume 21 onward and the incense methods section of the Chen catalog. Reading formulas requires the accumulation of the first two stages; otherwise, even the eight characters 'agarwood and sandalwood as the bone, dragon brain and musk as the application' will not reveal their inner logic to you.
Supporting tool: this siteAromatic Materials Illustrated GuideCan verify ancient and modern aromatic material names,Famous Incense Formulas Through the AgesCan search formulas by use,Eight Classics of Incense Culture(香学)It is a condensed version of these three-tier reading lists.
Prefer annotated, collated editions.Ancient texts have no punctuation, and unpunctuated plain-text editions are extremely unfriendly to beginners. Collated editions such as those from Zhonghua Book Company and Shanghai Classics Publishing House have been punctuated and collated, which saves a lot of trouble.
Make good use of exceptional resources.Xiangcheng and similar works have entered the public domain; Wikisource has the full text of the Siku Quanshu edition, and Wikimedia Commons has photographic scans. The collation notes on each volume's translation and annotation page on this site include external links for cross-reference.
Don't take online reposts as the original text.This is the most important point. Quotations on incense culture(香学) circulating online are copied back and forth, with numerous typos, punctuation errors, and distorted retellings.Whenever you need to quote, go back to a scan or an authoritative collated edition to verify.The rules we set for our own translation and annotation work (seeTranslation and Annotation Principles) begin with citing the source and not passing off our work as a definitive edition.
Verify incense material names against reality.The linglingxiang, gansong, and huoxiang in the books may not be the same as products of the same name in today's medicinal materials market. If you really want to recreate ancient formulas, first check today's names against illustrated guides, then buy the materials.
If you reach the third stage and want to try it yourself, you can first call 400-809-1913 to talk with us about incense material combinations and substitutions—between one liang in the books and one gram on an electronic scale lie six hundred years.
We suggest starting with the agarwood section of Volume One of Xiangcheng plus this site's translation and annotation, and reading alongside one or two pieces of actual incense material for comparison. Agarwood is the most typical material in incense culture(香学) and has the clearest grading; once you understand it, you will have a reference for reading about sandalwood, borneol, and musk later. We do not recommend starting by tackling the full twenty-eight volumes.
Use the method of "translation and annotation first, original text after": first read the vernacular translation and annotation to grasp the meaning, then go back to the original text, and understanding will be much faster. This site'sTranslation and Annotation of Xiangchengis arranged by volume, with each volume divided into four sections: original text, vernacular translation and annotation, notes, and collation notes, and can serve as a transitional tool for reading ancient texts.
Be cautious. Online reposted quotations have a high error rate and often present later people's paraphrases as the ancients' original words. Before using them for formal citation or as the basis for recreating incense formulas, be sure to verify against scanned copies or authoritative collated editions; for quotations in this site's translations and annotations, please also note their nature as "compiled and edited."
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