Making scents of history

Lu developed an interest in Chinese herbal medicine as a child. It runs in the family. Her mother and grandmother are both practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. The idea of re-creating ancient incense emerged during a visit to Japan. Kyoto, to be specific. The ancient capital has numerous temples and the scent of incense permeates them all.

At some incense stores in Kyoto, merchants still sell products based on recipes that the Chinese Buddhist monk, Jianzhen, took there during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), "which really moved me", she says, recalling her first trip to the city in 2016.

"Domestically, experts tend to invent their own recipes, and many good, older ones have not been fully passed on," Lu says. Inspired by this journey, she returned home determined to concentrate on re-creating old fragrances in the same manner as an architect would restore an ancient palace.

"The ancient incense will not decay over hundreds of years and its value cannot be measured by money," she adds.

One of Lu's customers, a woman surnamed Liu, 20, who bought sandalwood incense, says that it has a simple and elegant aroma, and brings to mind a handsome immortal that appears in a TV costume drama. Another patron, a man surnamed Zhang, 36, says the smell of ancient incense he bought from Lu is soothing.

Lu says she hopes to complete the re-creation of more ancient types of incense this year, some of which may be donated to museums in the future.

Contact the writers at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn