For thousands of years incense have been used in China, not only for religious ceremonies, but as an artistic element in folklore. Since Neolithic times, Chinese people have burned stones and wood for aromatherapy. As spices were introduced to China through the Silk Road, incense became widely used in daily life for freshening clothes, traditional medicine, meditation, and religious rituals. It was considered elegant to use incense and during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), appreciating incense was considered one of the four “graceful daily things” to do, along with tea tasting, flower arranging, and arranging paintings on walls.

While in China the art of incense almost vanished over the centuries, in Japan the so-called “Kodo” remained popular and eventually spread to Taiwan, from which it returned to the Chinese mainland several years ago. Today in China, the art is called Xiang Dao, meaning “skill of making incense.” During this hands-on workshop…