Ming and Qing: The Great Synthesis of Xiang Cheng and Leisure Appreciation
Xiang Cheng synthesizes the great achievements of incense culture(香学) through the ages, and Xuande censers established the model for bronze vessels—the Ming and Qing brought incense practices to the pinnacle of completeness and leisure appreciation.
The Great Synthesis of Xiang Cheng
Zhou Jiazhou of the Ming dynasty compiled Xiang Cheng in twenty-eight volumes, gathering incense varieties, incense practices, incense formulas, and incense writings into one compendium—an unprecedented summation of incense culture(香学), seeXiang Cheng Volume by VolumeandXiang Cheng Translation and Annotation。
The Model for Bronze Incense Vessels
Xuande censers, cast from refined copper with warm and lustrous patina, became the model for later bronze incense burners, seeTreatise on Incense VesselsandIllustrated Compendium of Incense Vessels。
The Study of Leisurely Appreciation
Wen Zhenheng's Changwu zhi (Treatise on Superfluous Things), Gao Lian's Zunsheng bajian (Eight Discourses on the Art of Living), and Tu Long's Kaopan yushi all equally emphasize the matters and vessels of incense; the "Seven Essentials of Incense Burning" discusses the seven vessels for appraising incense, representing the culmination of literati aesthetics of leisurely appreciation, seeDetailed Examination of Incense Catalogue LiteratureandIncense and Literati Life。