Home 禄 Feature 禄 Art and Culture
Incense of intellectuals
UNTIL the early 20th century, incense was an integral part of Chinese intellectual life for a long time.
Myriad famous poets and scholar-officials have written about the beauty of incense in their pursuit of a life detached from materialism.
For ancient men of letters, burning incense meant both pleasure and meditation. Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), a calligrapher and scholar-official in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), called himself an “addict to incense.”
In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, renowned scholars, however poor they were, would not live without burning incense or drinking tea — two things long believed to reveal noble tastes.
Of all the great ancient poems and prose dedicated to the beauty of incense, the one written by Tu Long (1543-1605), a well-known scholar in the Ming Dynasty, sums up its appeal.
When detached hermits sit down and discuss moral issues, lighting incense will cool their hearts and minds;
When one feels lonely and lost in wee hours, lighting incense will soothe mind and body;
When one writes calligraphy by the window, recites rhymed articles, or reads books at night, lighting incense will boost the spirit and prevent one from becoming sleepy;
When a man and his better half are together and talk in private, lighting incense in a burner placed in their interlinked hands will deepen their passion toward each other;
When one gets up from a nap at noon, sits by the window and drinks tea while it rains outside, lighting incense will please the body and soul;
And when one awakens from being drunk at a feast and plays qin to the bright moon and the high mountain, it’s most proper to light incense and see it dancing around curtains and reaching near and far at will, driving away evils.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.