"Xiang Cheng" was written by Zhou Jiazhou, a scholar in the Ming Dynasty. It is a comprehensive work that systematically compiles ancient Chinese incense culture and related knowledge. The book consists of eighteen volumes, with rich content and rigorous style. It details the origin, characteristics, preparation methods and uses of various incense products, and extensively includes historical facts, allusions, poetry and religious incense related records. It can be called the most representative classic document in the history of Chinese incense.
Volumes 1 to 5 of this book mainly introduce the tasting and textual research of many spices such as agarwood, sandalwood, dipterocarp, musk, etc.; Volumes 6 to 7 respectively record the use of incense in Buddhism and the court; Volumes 8 to 12 collect various incense anecdotes, geographical customs, and incense prescriptions; Volume 13 and onwards detail practical content such as the method of combining incense, the use of incense utensils, and the preparation of incense materials, and are accompanied by a large number of incense recipes, which reflect the ancients' in-depth research on incense and the elegance of life.
