Zhu Quan: Prince of Ning, Master of Tea and Incense
Zhu Quan (Ming dynasty), one of the key figures in the history of Chinese incense culture(香学).
Zhu Quan · Ming
Identity:Prince of Ning, Master of Tea and Incense
Representative incense works / incense practices:Seven Essentials of Incense Burning, Tea Manual
Zhu Quan (1378–1448) wrote the Seven Essentials of Incense Burning, which discusses in detail the essentials of the censer, ash, fire, incense, charcoal, fire isolation, and incense appreciation; it is a representative document of Ming dynasty literati incense ritual. He also wrote the Tea Manual, advocating that "tea, as a thing, can inspire poetry and instantly change the colors of the clouds and mountains." He placed incense burning and tea tasting together as the guiding principles of literati pure offerings.
And Chinese incense culture(香学)
Seen through Zhu Quan, Chinese incense culture(香学) is not an isolated craft, but a process in which generations of literati and artisans continuously documented, systematized, and spiritualized olfactory experience. Only by understanding these pioneers can one understand the weight of that wisp of incense in your hands today.
Representative incense formulas · incense poems · incense discourses
Discourse on Incense"Seven Essentials of Burning Incense"
Written by Zhu Quan, Prince Xian of Ning of the Ming Dynasty"Seven Essentials of Burning Incense"Incense burner, incense box, burner ash, incense charcoal, fire screen, fire starter, incense goods, listing the rituals and utensils for burning incense, it is the most detailed standard for incense practice in the Ming Dynasty.
Incense Formulas·Sweet Incense
The sweet incense made by Zhu Quan, with agarwood, sandalwood plus spikenard, cloves, etc., blended with honey and stored in a sealed jar, its fragrance sweet yet clear, is the household incense of the Ning estate.