The “Scent Seeking, Pulse Discovering: Chinese Incense Culture Theme Exhibition” officially opened on 1 December 2025 in Classroom CC324. Organised jointly by the Historical and Cultural Centre, the Chinese Culture and Global Communication Project and Zhongshan Tianxiang Bieyuan Cultural Communication, the exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the historical context and spiritual significance of Chinese incense culture. It will run until 3 December, and during this time, professors and students are welcome to enter freely, enjoy the different scents on offer, and engage with the material.

The exhibition began at 17:00 on 1 December, with a lively atmosphere. Before professors and students began exploring independently, Xie Yuchen, a senior student from CCGC and the exhibition's lead organiser, took to the stage. She welcomed the attendees warmly and expressed her sincere gratitude, before introducing the exhibition’s organising team. She then provided a concise overview of the exhibition’s three core sections.

Section 1: Tang and Song Elegance – Harmonizing Scents for Refinement and Daily Life

This section focuses on the flourishing period of incense culture during the Tang and Song dynasties. It is divided into two major exhibition areas: The Tang Dynasty Court and the Song Dynasty Literati. The Tang Dynasty area showcases the incense-burning rituals of the aristocratic elite during the prosperous Tang era, featuring exhibits such as "Pear Blossom in the Curtain Incense", plum blossom incense, coiled incense and Tang Dynasty incense burners. The Song Dynasty area features literati incense formulas such as 'Spring Message in Snow' and 'Old Bureau of the Two Sus', as well as rubbings of incense recipes including Huang Tingjian's 'Yi He' and 'Shen Jing'. It also showcases literati incense tools and floral art, reconstructing the way of life of the Song literati and embodying practices such as 'burning incense for reading' and 'meeting friends with incense'. Together, these exhibits illustrate the evolution of incense from courtly rituals to daily literati life.

Section 2: Global Trade – Foreign Envoys, Cultural Exchange With the “Silk Road” Incense can serve as a narrative axis, demonstrating its cross-cultural value as a carrier of civilisation. The exhibition displays samples of Chinese and foreign aromatic materials, such as agarwood, sandalwood, frankincense and myrrh, alongside antique, rustic incense burners. This provides a visual representation of the role of incense in facilitating cultural exchanges between China and regions such as India, Arabia and Japan, reflecting the inclusive spirit of Chinese incense traditions characterised by their 'all-encompassing' nature.

Section 3: Women and Incense Culture – Old Stories Reimagined, Impressions Recreated

This section focuses on three notable women: Empress Wu Zetian, Xie Daoyun and Chang Eileen. Through the reconstruction of scenes involving the creation of incense, the symbolic meaning of incense in the spiritual worlds of women is explored. Empress Wu Zetian’s incense symbolises supreme power and majesty; Li Qingzhao’s incense embodies the talents of literati and scholars; and Eileen Chang’s incense highlights fragmentation and awakening during the transition between the old and new eras. By narrating through scent, the exhibition demonstrates how women used incense to shape their personal temperament and inner spiritual space.

This exhibition is not just a cultural display, but a dialogue that transcends time and space. Through an in-depth exploration of incense culture, faculty and students can experience the wisdom of a life that embraces the idea of 'calming the mind with incense and nurturing one’s character by smelling it', amidst the lingering fragrance. The organisers hope that, through such activities, more people will come to understand and appreciate traditional Chinese incense culture, thereby inheriting this unique Eastern elegance.