China's Ancient Aromatic Culture

First, the embryonic period of the Neolithic Age

Human's love for fragrance is an innate demand. At first, our ancestors felt the fragrance of plants. When they smelled the fragrance of different spices,

That is, you can feel the pleasure of beauty and fragrance, and gradually find that plants with different scents have different functions. At this time, people's use of incense is still in ignorance.

The spices used are pure natural spices, except for a few direct incense, most of them are original and dynamic without cutting, grinding and other processing procedures.

Plants naturally give off fragrance.

Second, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Early Warring States Period.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, incense has been recorded in writing and the development of incense culture has begun to take shape. There are many wonderful carols in Qu Yuan's Li Sao:

"Hu Jiang left and monarch, threading thought Pei"; "If you drink Mulan in the morning, you will be exposed, and if you eat Qiuju at night, your English will not work." "If you serve Ai, you will want to be happy, which is called orchid."

You can admire it. "At that time, scholars compared incense to a noble and beautiful quality.

Third, the formation of Qin and Han Dynasties.

Incense culture has made great progress. The "Silk Road" brought us overseas clove, benzoin, frankincense and dragon saliva. The first time in Han dynasty incense products

Harmonious incense appeared, and court magicians began to use a variety of incense drugs to prepare incense prescriptions according to the theory of yin-yang, five elements and meridians. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the representative Boshan furnace

Fragrant culture is very popular, which is not only a patent for dignitaries to cultivate themselves, but also a fashion for ordinary people to incense and taste incense with Boshan furnace.

Fourth, the maturity of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the economy was prosperous, the maritime transportation was convenient, and Buddhism flourished. From the royal family to the ordinary people, the custom of using incense is quite common, enriching all kinds.

Various forms of incense. Most emperors in the Tang Dynasty believed in Buddhism, and the royal family participated in Buddhist activities very frequently, and the amount of incense used was even more predictable. Tang dynasty at that time

There are a large number of gold, silver and jade articles in the incense table, and even if it imitates the system of Boshan furnace in the previous dynasty, its appearance is more gorgeous. Smoked balls, barrels, pouches, etc.

Tools have been widely used. It was at this time that Jian Zhen and the monks crossed to Japan, not only spreading Buddhism to Japan, but also bringing incense supplies closely related to Buddhism.

Change. The prosperity of Buddhism has brought the demand for spices, and a large number of exotic spices have made spices an important trade material. In the Tang Dynasty, there were many incense shops specializing in incense.

Merchants and spice shops of materials and spices.

Five, the heyday of the Northern Song Dynasty

During this period, not only Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism advocated the use of incense, but incense also became a part of ordinary people's daily life. There is incense in the living room hall.

In all kinds of banquets and celebrations, we should also burn incense to add fun, and there are also people responsible for burning incense; Not only incense, but also all kinds of exquisite ones.

Sachet sachets can be hung, and spices will be added when making snacks, tea soup, Mo Ding and other items; There are special incense shops in the market, which people can not only buy.

Incense, you can also ask people to make incense; When women in Xiang Culture Palace travel, they are often accompanied by fragrant balls. Scholars set up more fragrant houses, not only with

Incense is tasted, and incense is made by hand. Incense ceremony has become a leisure activity of literati.

Sixth, the stable period of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In the Ming Dynasty, while inheriting and developing the exquisite incense culture in the Song Dynasty, it was combined with Neo-Confucianism and Buddhism to form "sitting incense" and "teaching incense", thus becoming a cluster.

Lin meditation and interrogation course. Buddhist scholars built incense houses, quiet rooms and collected Xuande stoves, which became fashionable for a while. During the period, the line is fragrant.

It began to be widely used and formed a mature production technology. In the heyday of the Qing dynasty, "walking incense" has penetrated into daily life, with three sets of stoves, bottles and boxes.

The study and incense table of the group became the typical furnishings of the study.

Seven, the shrinking period in troubled times.

With the decline of the national situation and the beginning of the war in the late Qing Dynasty, the spiritual life of literati and officialdom tends to be simple and dull, and the study of incense, poetry, music and dance tends to be pure.

Like art forms, it gradually declined. The subsequent warlord scuffle, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the subsequent war of liberation and the invasion of western industrial civilization made people

Experts questioned traditional culture, and since then, traditional culture and art, including "Xiangdao", have been devastated.

Eight. Modern revival period

Up to now, in addition to burning incense and worshipping Buddha, wearing sachets and other popular ways of using incense, traditional incense studies and literati in the upper class are strict in etiquette.

The ceremony of tasting incense has gradually disappeared, and many people don't even know what "fragrant road" is, let alone cultivate their self-cultivation by fragrant road.

Incense, always as a symbol of elegance and self-cultivation, emerges in people's minds. In the process of burning incense and tasting incense, it blends with the spirituality and soul of incense.

One. "Burning incense, tasting tea, arranging flowers and hanging pictures" has always been the ultimate life pursued by spiritual nobles. This is a lifestyle that combines wealth and literacy.