How Traditional Chinese Incense Is Made

A traditional incense stick begins long before it is lit. The Fujian incense-making tradition recorded by China's intangible heritage centre includes selecting aromatic materials, preparing and grinding them, blending, forming the incense, drying it and storing it. The exact materials and sequence change with the maker and the intended form.

Material, blend, shape

1. Select and prepare fragrant plant materials for the particular blend.
2. Grind and mix the materials; the Fujian record describes water, or sometimes prepared honey, as a binder.
3. Shape the mixture into the intended incense form, then dry and store it.

The heritage record also describes recipes and judgements passed between practitioners. It is evidence for a living Fujian craft, not proof that all Chinese incense uses the same binder, ingredients or curing period. The Beijing medicinal-incense record lists still more finished forms, from powder and pellets to sticks and coils.

When reading a modern label, look for a specific ingredient list and form. ‘Traditional’ alone cannot tell you what was mixed, how it was shaped, or whether it suits your burner.