The long river of time flows slowly
Many things have gradually faded from people's sight to complete their mission
But there are some more
Original old objects of ancestors
We are right about them
Often turn a blind eye
But they are always together
They have been baptized over thousands of years
It's still timeless
It is as if time and wisdom have condensed
Cultural amber
Author: Party / Broadcaster: Cai Yunyong
During the Qingming Dynasty, raising incense to worship ancestors and filial piety is the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation's cohesion and harmony. Light smoke and fragrant fragrance, this sacred life exchange ceremony, passed down from generation to generation, reincarnation from generation to generation.
Among the many elegant things, "burning incense" was praised by the ancient Chinese as "the first of elegance". Not only incense is burned during the sacrifice, but also a pot of incense is burned when reading, tasting tea, playing the piano, and painting, so as to add tranquility.
The history of incense burning dates back to the distant late Neolithic period. More than 6,000 years ago, the ancients had burned firewood to worship the gods of heaven and earth. The Yin Shang Oracle has the character "Purple (Chai)", which is "the ritual of holding a burning wood". According to the Book of Shang, when Shun accepted the throne of Yao Chan Rang, he burned wood to raise smoke and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Chu people who lived in the humid and hot environment in the south had discovered that throwing plants with aromatic odors into the fire, the smoke generated after burning could repel mosquitoes and even calm the spirits and help sleep. The Chu people revered witchcraft, believing that burning incense could drive away evil spirits and avoid impurities, and they could also convey their personal wishes to the heavens. When Qin Shi Huang destroyed the last fierce enemy, the State of Chu, and unified China, the unique incense culture of the State of Chu miraculously survived. Over time, rituals are formed.
Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty made important contributions to the development of Chinese incense culture. Emperor Wu believed in Taoism, and in order to seek eternal life, he broke the tradition of "incense sacrifice to the heavens" in the past, so that incense became a daily use in life. Zhang Qian went to the western region, and Western spices continued to pour into China through the Silk Road, and the first famous furnace in Chinese history, the "Boshan Furnace", also came into being at this time. The sentence "Although Boshan is cold and fragrant", euphemistically conveys the inexhaustible and profound wonders of ancient Chinese culture.
In the Song Dynasty, incense culture entered its heyday. In the "Qingming Upper River Map", the "figure" of incense can be seen in many places. For example, there are shops in the street that specialize in selling incense, such as "Liu Jia Shang Shang Shen Sandalwood Selection". The literati of the Song Dynasty also invented a more literary way of tasting incense- douxiang. Douxiang players will find ways to obtain rare materials, or repeatedly ponder the Qingqi method of incense, and strive to get the top spot in the incense party. "Douxiang" is not simply to please the sniffling senses, but to test the literati's cultivation at the artistic level, and the douxiang fighters obtain spiritual pleasure and satisfaction through the collision of thinking and inspiration.
Thousands of years have passed, and today's Chinese still like to be friends with incense when reading, and are still willing to be with incense when they are alone. Burn an incense stick, let the mind wander in the place closest to the sky, and meditate on our hearts and wishes. With a moment of incense, find a moment of leisure, steal a shallow time.
Reward the | Traditional incense-making techniques
Video Production: Gu Yu
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An all-media platform focused on visual communication
In 2015, Gu Yu ventured into the field of traditional handicrafts, creating a traditional handicraft transformation platform integrating communication, design transformation and sales, linking social forces such as design, brand, sales channels, media platforms, and colleges, empowering traditional handicrafts, building an ecosystem for the activation of traditional handicrafts, focusing on the regeneration of traditional handicrafts, and returning them to current life. It lasted 5 years, traveled 120,000 kilometers, traveled to 17 provinces across the country, and photographed more than 500 traditional craftsmen free of charge.
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Creative Participation:
CDS China Designer Salon, China Female Designer Salon WDS, Zhengzhou Graphic Art Design Association, Xi'an Graphic Design Association, Nanjing Graphic Designers Alliance, Wuhan Jiuyi Creation Association, Visual Alliance, Dalian Graphic Designers Association, Heilongjiang Guanwai Design Alliance, Jilin Provincial Graphic Design Association, Shanxi Designers Club outside the city, Hangzhou Designer Salon, Chenzhou Designer Salon, Sino-Korean Designers Association, Taiwan Poster Design Association, Emblem Graphic Designers Alliance, Absolute Guizhou Creative Design Alliance, Inner Mongolia Designer Salon, Zhejiang Sea Graphic Designers Alliance, Parallel Ji Hebei Graphic Design Alliance, Shanghai Designers Club, Suzhou Graphic Designers Association, Fujian Graphic Design Association FGDA-Fuzhou, Fujian Graphic Design Association, Foshan Designers Club, Shanxi Graphic Design Society, Shenyang Creative Design Center, Asia-China-Korea Design Association, Guangzhou Graphic Designers Alliance, Shantou Graphic Design Club, Founder Font Library, Hanyi Font Library, 869 Design School, Dalian Graphic Design Alliance, Fengtian Designer Salon HGDA Hunan Graphic Designers Alliance
Participating Institutions:
Shandong Academy of Arts and Crafts, Lingnan Normal University School of Fine Arts and Design, Shijiazhuang University School of Fine Arts Visual Communication Design, Zhengzhou Institute of Light Industry Easton College of Fine Arts, Inner Mongolia Normal University International Design Art College, South China University of Technology School of Architecture, Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications Digital Art College, Jilin Art College, Dalian Polytechnic University School of Art and Design, Northeast Normal University School of Humanities, Shanxi Media College, 869 Dalian Design School, Whale Art Design College, Jiangxi Yichun College, Langfang Normal University, Changzhou Textile and Garment Vocational and Technical College Creative College, School of Architecture, Beijing Jianzhu University
Academic Collaboration:
Peking University School of Archaeology and Archaeology "Source Flow Movement" platform
Supporting Organizations:
School of Visual Communication Design, Shandong Academy of Arts and Crafts, Character Magic Camp, COLORPLAN + Zhengdu Paper, MOOYEE, Mengku Tea, International College of Design and Art of Inner Mongolia Normal University, Corner Tower Library, Modern Paper-cutting Art Research Institute, China Cultural Tourism Product Innovation Industry Alliance, Chenzhou Cultural Tourism Product Innovation R&D Center, HGDA Hunan Graphic Designers Alliance
Support media:
No. 9 Gutian Road, Design Search, Brand Design Research Center, Blank Set, International Art Space, International Packaging Design, Anecdote, Extraordinary Designer Network, Jianhe, Hi Design, Sauce Explosion, Gu Yu, Design Empire, Yixin Yiyi, Design Perspective, Chief Visual Officer, Logo Design Bureau, D9 Design, Pure Design, Brand Design Perspective, Cultural Tourism Product Innovation Center, Design Competition, Design Chen
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