The smell of success

With the increasingly expanding market, Yang has also led his team to develop auxiliary machines, such as those for molding, drying and packaging, to complement the manual procedures.

"The addition of the new machines has not only improved the efficiency of incense production, but also ensured the quality of products," says Yang Junming, who is in charge of the production workshop of Yang Jinqing's company.

All those efforts have helped fuel the popularity of Qingyuan incense.

According to local authorities, there are more than 500 local businesses in the incense production chain, from raw material collection, incense production, to packaging and equipment processing, and more than 50,000 people are engaged in the incense business.

Yang Jinqing has also helped to establish an engineering center for herbal incense in Hebei that specializes in studying ancient recipes and culture, as well as developing new crafts based on the fragrance.

He has also opened incense museums where the public can see the production process firsthand.

"I want future generations to appreciate the charm of China's incense culture and craft," Yang Jinqing says.

His son Yang Xueming is also engaged in the trade and brings a new vitality to it.

"We might think incense culture is very elegant and, therefore, far away from us, but it is actually very close to our lives," Yang Xueming says. "When drinking tea, playing chess, reading or writing, lighting an incense stick can help calm the nerves and concentrate the mind."

The young man has also integrated traditional incense culture with modern methods to help deal with the sleeping problems that plague modern people.

He worked with the traditional Chinese medicine school, Hebei University, and has developed a tablet that can release a sleep-aiding fragrance after being put on a specially designed electronic heater.

"The effects have been proved through many experiments," Yang Xueming says.

In December, the young man led a team to develop a series of incense products for use at night, which won gold at the Hebei Cultural Creativity and Tourism Commodity Creative Design Competition.

"I hope more people will participate in making incense, so it can become a rural industry that makes Qingyuan proud," Yang Xueming says.

"We'd like to inject new blood to this ancient craft and help it continue to spread its fragrance to more families."