Incense in Fiction · Volume Navigation
Novels portray people and worldly affairs, and incense is often the most subtle prop. Here we have compiled the incense mentioned in several classical novels one by one, to see how incense writes identity, scenes, and the human heart.
Volume Contents
This collection andPoems on Incense、Incense Allusionscomplement each other, and also connect withFamous Incense Formulas Through the Ages: the incense names in novels can mostly be found as actual formulas in incense manuals.
Incense in Fiction · Volume Navigation
The following Q&A is compiled from content on this site for quick understanding; descriptions of incense materials' medicinal properties are traditional understandings and do not constitute medical advice.
What incenses are written about in "Dream of the Red Chamber"?
The more famous ones include Qunfang Sui (Group Fragrance Essence, in the fifth chapter's Land of Illusion), Mengtian Xiang (Dream-Sweet Incense, used for计时 timing in the thirty-seventh chapter's Crabapple Society), and Lengxiang Wan (Cold Fragrance Pill, taken by Baochai), among others. Cao Xueqin uses incense to write characters' fates and the family's atmosphere.
What does the incense in "The Plum in the Golden Vase" illustrate?
Descriptions of agarwood, ambergris, silver-heavy censers, etc., in the book reflect that during the peak of the Ming dynasty spice trade, incense had penetrated into everyday urban consumption, and can be cross-verified with records in "Xiang Cheng" (Incense Compendium).
What is Xiangyu in "Liaozhai"?
"Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio · Xiangyu" uses the peony spirit Xiangyu and the camellia spirit Jiangxue to write of the bond between humans and flowers; here incense (xiang) is an extension of the flower spirit's name, belonging to the tradition of supernatural tales personifying incense.