The prosperity of incense culture was fully maintained and steadily developed in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, from the historical data, the Ming Dynasty used incense more people, the consumption of incense is still very large, therefore, the supply of incense medicine in the Ming and Qing dynasties is also more dependent on imports.
In order to control the economic benefits brought by the incense trade, the Ming court still prohibited private trade, but allowed "tributary trade" under government control. (From 1405 to 1433 (during the reign of Yongle Xuande), Zheng He led a huge fleet of more than 20,000 people to the West seven times, trading ginseng, musk, gold and silver, tea, silk, porcelain and other items along the way, in exchange for pepper, sandalwood, dragon brain, frankincense, wood incense, benzoin, myrrh, Suhe incense and so on.) In addition to the use of these incense pills for the palace, most of them were sold to various places to generate income for the country) For maritime smuggling and folk incense trade, although the state controls it very strictly, under the temptation of extensive market demand and huge profits, underground trade has always been prohibited, and the scale of smuggling and trafficking in many places is still very large.
The incense treatises of the Ming and Qing dynasties were also relatively rich, and all kinds of books often involved incense, among which the most influential and prominent was Zhou Jiaxin's "Xiang Multiplication". "Xiang Cheng" is a rich incense monograph, which brings together a variety of historical materials related to incense, involving a wide range of incense herbs, incense utensils, incense recipes, incense texts, anecdotes and other contents. In addition, many medical books also have rich records of herbs and incense. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" contains almost all herbs, as well as many herbs and herbs, which are used to dispel impurities, prevent epidemics, calm minds, improve sleep and treat various diseases.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, incense culture was popularized, spices penetrated deep into the people, "printing incense" is to facilitate the incense powder can burn for a long time, the incense powder is printed with a mold into a variety of continuous lines of auspicious patterns or text shapes, after ignition will naturally follow the shape of the burn, that is, convenient for the use of incense, but also to avoid not because of the irregular shape of the incense powder burning unevenly or inexhaustible and wasteful, some Zen temples are also used as a simple timer, called "incense" (about the printing incense, we will do a detailed description in the incense course in the follow-up, It is also one of the most important and commonly used forms of incense), and other incense products, such as incense sticks, pan incense, tower incense, etc. (pan incense, tower incense is derived from the printing incense) are more convenient for people to use, and the incense market is prosperous. During this period, all levels of society loved and used incense, which was also the third peak period of Chinese incense culture.
In the Qing Dynasty, incense burners were already a fixed study decoration in the lives of many literati. "Green clothes hold the inscription scroll, red sleeves add incense to accompany the reading", this is the famous poem of the Qing Dynasty female poet Xi Peilan, and I am afraid that it is also the most well-known verse describing the scene of incense.
"Red sleeves add incense" is how many literati dream scenes, the ancients' study is simple, dry, reading into the night, cold wind habits, a lone lamp, shadow and shadow, the literati for the name of merit, for the knowledge, always very lonely to spend that long night, if at this time, there is a red face on the side, carefully pluck the incense ash, light the incense charcoal, carefully buried, put a pill of incense, a wisp of sweet fragrance haunting the heart, the shallow smile that looks back, the spirit is a hundred times, and the whole heart is studied.
Modern people have difficulty in feeling the scene of the real red sleeves adding incense, only know that there is a red face on the side, but what incense is added, how to add incense? Modern people have almost no habit of using incense, even if they use it, that is, they use branch incense, if they can return to the era of "red sleeves and incense", I believe that many people will leave the TV, computer, mobile phone, return to the desk, pick up a book, accompanied by wisps of fragrant fragrance, quietly study, what a happy thing.
In the Qing Dynasty, I have to mention a brilliant masterpiece in the history of our ancient Chinese literature - "Dream of the Red Chamber", from watching the original work to the TV series, I don't know how many friends have noticed that incense is everywhere in it.
In addition to the mouth-watering delicacies, the chic courtyards, the exquisite utensils, and the gorgeous costumes, it is the same luxurious incense that permeates the air.
One of the most luxurious and magnificent incense scenes is none other than the Yuan Concubine's kiss.
The imperial incense used by the noble concubines was extraordinary, "the royal incense was burned in the gold furnace", and the eunuch on duty held incense beads, the leader of the group, and the dust. When I arrived at the Grand View Garden, the cigarettes were swirling and the flowers were colorful, and I entered the palace" "Only to see the garden burning empty, the incense chips spreading on the ground, the fire tree flowers, the golden windows and jade sills, the endless curtains rolling shrimp whiskers, the blankets laying fish otters, and the fragrance of the musk brain." The gifts that Princess Yuan gave to Jia Mu were: "One handle each for gold and jade ruyi, one for agarwood, and one string of rosary beads for chess."
From the above description, it can be seen that the Yuan Concubine was accompanied by incense all the way from the palace to the Grand View Garden, burning the imperial incense all the way, and some people held incense beads in case of emergency. In the Grand View Garden, there was no one to be a little sloppy, and the incense burners everywhere were burning with the incense of lilies, musk and dragon brains were also spices that were only eligible for use by the royal family or the public family at that time, agarwood
Crutches and chess prayer beads are also extremely precious and rare, and only Jia Mu, the highest-ranking person, can obtain them, showing the status of the master and the luxury of life
As for the places where incense is used in the book, there are more places, there are temples, halls, study rooms, boudoirs...
The types of incense mentioned are: agarwood, musk, dragon brain, lily, Tibetan incense, incense pills, incense cakes, incense sticks, incense sticks, benzoin, myrrh, incense beads, incense lotions, incense wood carvings...
Incense has: sachets, lavender cages, lifting stoves, hand stoves, Ding furnaces...
Places named after incense: Daoxiang Village, Lotus Champs, LiXiangyuan, Warm Incense Dock...
Among them, the most familiar picture with incense is: "Liu Grandma entered the Grand View Garden, and after getting drunk, she mistakenly entered the Baoyu Room, and when the raider entered the door, she only smelled the stench of wine and farts, and looked around the room, only to see Liu Grandma lying on her back on the bed with her hands and feet, and she was busy storing three or four handfuls of lily incense in the Big Ding, still covered with a hood."
In the winter, there is no shortage of scenes of holding the hand stove to incense for warmth, and there are many scenes of FengJie and the wives of the ladies of each room. In order to find an errand for a large view garden, Jia Yun borrowed fifteen taels of silver, bought four or two ice chips and musk, falsely claimed that it was sent by a friend, gave it to Sister Feng, and became a gardener's overseer.
Qin Keqing's sweet fragrance (in the fifth time, it is said that everyone came to Qin Keqing's room, just arrived at the door, there was a fine sweet fragrance that struck people, Baoyu felt that his eyes were soft, and Baoyu was taking advantage of this divine incense to be too illusory. There is no fragrance in the heavens on earth. ）
Baoyu's incense pillow, Baochao's "cold incense pills", daiyu's tibetan incense when writing the scriptures, Daiyu's last breath is still sewing sachets for her sweetheart.
In short, there is incense everywhere, which shows the great role of incense culture in the long river of Chinese history.
Contemporary incense culture development
From the end of the Qing Dynasty to the end of the Republic of China, until the liberation, for more than a hundred years, the Chinese people suffered from war, and under the very harsh material living conditions, no one used incense anymore. Therefore, after the 1980s, the Chinese people's understanding of incense was limited to burning chemical incense in temples.
Nowadays, in addition to making spices in religious ceremonies, many people have begun to miss the ancient and brilliant "Chinese incense culture", spices are not only integrated into all areas of daily life, including clothing, food, housing, travel, culture and other aspects, in recent years, also began to popular a variety of incense, appreciation of incense activities.
In addition to following the methods of our ancients, such as: incense, incense, and incense, there are also: essential oil incense, the use of perfume, aromatherapy, electronic incense and so on.
Today, life has entered the chemical era, smoking clothes, bathing, defilement, worship of Buddha, etc., but also from natural incense to chemical pollution, and the inheritance of incense from the ancients, incense tasting methods, for this kind of pure, elegant, cultivating art of life, most of the Chinese people are strange, as a part of the disseminator of incense culture, do my best to do some popularization work, it is also obligatory, this beautiful way of sharing is also a happy, joyful practice. Being in the bustling city, but by learning incense culture, entering the incense life, enjoying the quiet realm, leaving the dust and not leaving the city, let yourself be a spiritual traveler hidden in the city...