Zhou Jiazhou: Incense Scholar and Collector
Zhou Jiazhou (Ming Dynasty) was one of the key figures in the history of Chinese incense culture(香学).
Zhou Jiazhou · Ming Dynasty
Identity:Incense scholar, collector
Representative Incense Works / Incense Matters:Xiang Cheng (Treatise on Incense)
Over more than twenty years, Zhou Jiazhou compiled the Xiang Cheng (Treatise on Incense) in 28 volumes and over 90,000 characters, recording more than 600 incense formulas; it is the most complete and comprehensive masterpiece in the history of Chinese incense culture(香学). Its structure is divided into six major sections: incense material appreciation, incense-making craftsmanship, incense-related allusions, religious incense use, overseas incense records, and illustrated catalog of incense vessels. The Siku Tiyao remarks: "Those who read about incense matters truly find nothing more detailed and complete than this."
and Chinese Incense Culture(香学)
Looking at Zhou Jiazhou, Chinese incense culture(香学) is not an isolated craft, but a process in which generations of literati and artisans continuously documented, systematized, and internalized olfactory experience. Only by understanding these pioneers can one understand the weight of the wisp of incense in one's hands today.
Representative Incense Formulas · Incense Poems · Incense Discourses
On IncenseXiang Cheng
Compiled by Zhou Jiazhou over more than twenty yearsXiang ChengIn twenty-eight volumes and over ninety thousand characters, it collects more than six hundred incense formulas and stands as the monumental masterpiece that synthesizes Chinese incense culture(香学). The Siku Tiyao remarks: "Those who read about incense matters indeed find nothing more detailed and complete than this."
Incense Formula·Xuanhe Imperial-Made Incense(compiled inXiang Cheng）
Agarwood seven liang, sandalwood three liang, golden-face incense two liang, frankincense one liang, ambergris, borneol, and musk half a liang each; blend evenly with refined honey, steam in a double boiler, and seal for half a month. A representative of Song dynasty court incense-blending craftsmanship; seeAnnotated Translation of Xiang Cheng·Volume 23。