香之韻

縷縷香煙從爐中散出，匯集成線。聞?wù)咴跓o(wú)意間便覺(jué)出了清新、淡雅，煙中的藥性使人氣息暢通，不僅給聞?wù)邘?lái)了絕佳的心情，思維也變得清晰起來(lái)。這便是沉香的韻味。

Incense appreciation is an important lifestyle in Chinese culture. The refreshing fragrance of incense can lift your mood， calm your mind， and help your reflections.

沉香是什么

所謂沉香，是因沉香木植物的樹(shù)芯受外傷或真菌感染，樹(shù)木分泌大量樹(shù)脂保護(hù)傷口，久之形成了至上的香材，這一過(guò)程至少需50年，而好的沉香則需幾百甚至上千年才能形成。

Formed as a reaction to fungal or bacterial attack to the tree， a good quality agarwood takes at least 50 years. Better ones may take hundreds of years.

《紅樓夢(mèng)》稱(chēng)得上一部古代貴族生活方式大全，各式華美的建筑、器具以及讓人垂涎的美食等在書(shū)中都被生動(dòng)地描繪，品香便是其中之一。直到民國(guó)時(shí)期，品香還是種主流生活方式并被大家推崇。張愛(ài)玲在其小說(shuō)處女作《沉香屑·第一爐香》中這樣描寫(xiě)：“請(qǐng)您尋出家傳的霉綠斑斕的銅香爐，點(diǎn)上一爐沉香屑，聽(tīng)我說(shuō)一個(gè)戰(zhàn)前香港的故事。您這一爐沉香屑點(diǎn)完了，我的故事也該完了。”

“品香、點(diǎn)茶、插花、掛畫(huà)”，古典文化中的“四般雅事”自古便引領(lǐng)著人們的生活方式，“香事”尤其如此。人們品香、玩香，說(shuō)到底就是在玩香的韻味。只是香中的學(xué)問(wèn)很深，現(xiàn)代人品香會(huì)顯得奢侈又有違和感。但在中國(guó)古代，品香就是人們?nèi)粘５纳铒L(fēng)尚，比如春秋時(shí)期，人們家中陳設(shè)再簡(jiǎn)單，香爐也必不可少。

香文化在今天有哪些價(jià)值？品香又會(huì)給自己的身心帶來(lái)哪些益處呢？在香文化不再流行的今天，人們從事香文化研究更加看重香文化帶來(lái)的精神愉悅，比如有人喜歡玩香道。秦漢之前，中國(guó)人品香并不重視形式，只是單純追求香材的味道，操作方式也比較簡(jiǎn)單：將和好的香料隨手抓起一把直接扔到焚有炭火的香爐中。到了隋唐時(shí)期，人們品香行為變得更加風(fēng)雅、講究。而當(dāng)香文化從唐代傳到日本后，日本因?yàn)橘Y源奇缺，到手的香料往往被人們視若珍寶，使用時(shí)更是講究到極致，久之便形成了精致的日式香道。

不過(guò)，香道僅是香文化的一部分，品香最終品的依然是香材本身。如沉香，正是香道中最好的香材。這種油木混合體因?yàn)槌料隳局参锏臉?shù)芯受到外傷或真菌感染，樹(shù)木分泌大量樹(shù)脂保護(hù)傷口，久之便形成了帶有獨(dú)特香味的香材。沉香的形成至少需50年，而好的沉香則需幾百甚至上千年才能形成，其珍貴不言而喻。

沉香的珍貴不僅僅是稀有，其價(jià)值更在于人們從味覺(jué)到心靈的體驗(yàn)。沉香中獨(dú)特的藥性，可以安神順氣、調(diào)節(jié)身心，使聞?wù)甙察o下來(lái)、遠(yuǎn)離浮躁。這與中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)道教中的修身養(yǎng)氣的理念不謀而合。所以古人品沉香絕非僅為了附庸風(fēng)雅，更是一種養(yǎng)生良方。

在當(dāng)下，依然存在著許多癡愛(ài)沉香的品香人。沉香的魅力究竟在哪？聽(tīng)完他們的故事便知。

A vivid portrait of incense appreciation could be found in the Qing Dynasty masterpiece， A Dream of Red Mansion， in which many aspects of Chinese culture are described in detail. Till 1949， incense appreciation had been an admired mainstream lifestyle. The debut novel of Eileen Chang， for example， is titled Agarwood Pieces， The First Censer of Incense.

Incense burning， tea brewing， floral arrangement， and painting have been known traditionally as the “four artful lifestyles”. As early as in 700BC， censer had become indispensable element in home decoration. Even nowadays when incense appreciation seems too extravagant， there are still people who study incense and enjoy the spiritual peace brought by incense burning.

From ancient times to date， the focus of incense appreciation has shifted from fragrance itself to ceremonies. In the Qin and Han Dynasties （221BC to 220AD）， incense was burned in charcoal fire for its fragrance. By Sui Dynasty （581-618）， formalities had been developed around incense burning. And when it was passed to agarwood-scarce Japan in the Tang Dynasty， the art was developed to the extremes， where Kodo， the way of incense was formed and practiced.

But Kodo is only part of the incense culture. In the end， it is the incense wood that matters. Agarwood， for example， is the most precious material. Formed as a reaction to fungal or bacterial attack to the tree， a good quality agarwood takes at least 50 years. Better ones may take hundreds of years.

But even more precious is the sensual and spiritual experience brought by incense. The unique medical elements in agarwood could help people relax and calm down， which aligns with the Taoist philosophy of inner cultivation. For ancient Chinese， incense appreciation is not just a fad， but a healthy lifestyle.

Want to know why agarwood attracts people？ Here are some stories shared by today’s agarwood lovers.

潘奕辰：品香是一種生活方式

潘奕辰對(duì)香味的喜愛(ài)可以追溯到小時(shí)候經(jīng)常使用的雪花膏和花露水。后來(lái)到國(guó)外留學(xué)、經(jīng)商做企業(yè)，香水和精油成了自己最大的愛(ài)好，每次出國(guó)，去當(dāng)?shù)刭?gòu)買(mǎi)最好的精油是她必做的一件事。

她對(duì)精油和香水的迷戀持續(xù)了10年，直到一次偶然的經(jīng)歷徹底改變了她。2008年，潘奕辰正忙于經(jīng)營(yíng)自己的公司。一次朋友帶她拜訪一位收藏家，那座位于景山附近的三進(jìn)式四合院里有個(gè)雅室，室內(nèi)一排紅木明代家具十分考究，而考究的木架子上卻擺著幾個(gè)裝有“木頭”的簡(jiǎn)陋玻璃瓶，當(dāng)時(shí)她并不知道瓶中那些造型奇怪的“木頭”便是著名的沉香。

隨后藏家朋友的表演同樣令她驚訝：添加香灰，點(diǎn)燃炭塊，再取一點(diǎn)香屑放置在爐上，整個(gè)操作簡(jiǎn)單又十分規(guī)矩。藏家把香爐遞給了潘奕辰，陣陣清香隨之傳來(lái)，使她獲得了從未有過(guò)的感覺(jué)，緊接著深深地嗅了一下。“那種感覺(jué)有些奇妙，一股夾雜著涼甜感覺(jué)的淡淡香氣直沖我的頭頂，不像香水和精油那樣帶有刺激性香味，它的香清新卻充滿(mǎn)力量。”

后來(lái)她才知道，那天自己聞到的是傳聞中的奇楠沉香，是所有沉香中最名貴的品種。有人說(shuō)能聞到奇楠便是福氣，對(duì)潘奕辰來(lái)說(shuō)，只是找到了自己最喜歡的味道。

除了味道，品香重要的一點(diǎn)就是養(yǎng)生功效。那段時(shí)間潘奕辰對(duì)各種酒局、應(yīng)酬應(yīng)接不暇，身心壓力都很大，有一段時(shí)間她恍惚覺(jué)得自己身體要垮了。可經(jīng)歷那次品香之后，她的身體、心靈卻重新找到了寄托，隨后她開(kāi)始四處求學(xué)沉香與香道。

通過(guò)逐漸接觸，潘奕辰發(fā)現(xiàn)品香具有養(yǎng)心、靜氣的功效，特別是沉香，“說(shuō)出來(lái)你可能不太相信，自從我決定研究香文化以來(lái)，身體狀況有了明顯的好轉(zhuǎn)，之前創(chuàng)業(yè)時(shí)積攢下的身心疾病也都逐漸消失了。”

潘奕辰說(shuō)，首先源自香材的藥性，因?yàn)楹芏嘞悴谋旧砭褪侵兴幉模藗円部梢愿鶕?jù)自己的身體情況將不同的藥物進(jìn)行調(diào)配。“比如我們常說(shuō)的沉香，就具備安神、調(diào)節(jié)呼吸、補(bǔ)腎的功效，所以品香其實(shí)更是一種養(yǎng)生。”

她認(rèn)為香的價(jià)值就要從香的藥性和氣韻來(lái)體現(xiàn)，而香中那種強(qiáng)大的氣韻，可以調(diào)節(jié)聞著的氣息，使人自在舒心，越好的香效果也就越明顯。

攝入沉香并非只有焚燃一種方法，切成粉末泡水喝，甚至直接食用都可以使其藥性很好地發(fā)揮。有些人獲得上好的沉香料舍不得使用，做成擺件，經(jīng)常拿出來(lái)聞聞，也對(duì)健康大有益處。

沉浸在優(yōu)雅的煙香中，不時(shí)再配上插花和飲茶，在學(xué)習(xí)品香的過(guò)程中，潘奕辰也到日本系統(tǒng)地學(xué)習(xí)了香道。在她看來(lái)，“香道類(lèi)似于茶道和花道，其實(shí)都是使人安靜下來(lái)的方式，在一種勻速舒緩的慢節(jié)奏中，便會(huì)感受到身心的舒暢。”

沉香的藥用價(jià)值

沉香自古就是一味中藥材，具有行氣止痛、溫中助陽(yáng)、納氣平喘等功效。日本的臨床研究證明沉香是治療胃癌的特效藥物和很好的鎮(zhèn)痛藥。由于沉香價(jià)格昂貴，也有“藥中黃金”之稱(chēng)，目前很多高端中藥中也多用沉香調(diào)配而成。

Pan Yichen： Incense appreciation， a lifestyle

Pan’s love of fragrance could be traced back to the lotion and floral water she used at childhood. As she studies abroad and starts to do business， she develops a habit of buying the best essence oil in every foreign city she visits.

This lasted for 10 years until she came across agarwood in 2008 when she was invited to visit a collector near Jingshan， Beijing. Upon arrival， the collector led her and her friend into a guest room in his courtyard. The room is furnished with Ming Dynasty mahogany furniture. Pan was surprised to find on one of the shelves several glass container of wood.

But what was more surprising was the following act of the collector. He filled a censer with incense ash， lit the charcoal， placed some wood powder atop the charcoal， and handed the censer to Pan. Pan was overwhelmed by a refreshing aroma. “It was amazing. I felt a sweet， light fragrance going all the way up to my head. Unlike the fragrance of perfume and essence oil， it is refreshing and powerful.”

She later learnt that it was heartwood， a most precious kind of agarwood. Some say it is a blessing to sniff the fragrance， and Pan found her favorite fragrance.

Apart from its fragrance， incense appreciation is also good for health. Pan felt exhausted and stressed at that time as she was busy growing her business. But after that experience， she found her way of relax， through studying agarwood and incense.

Incense helps to nourish the heart and calm the mind， agarwood incense in particular. “It may sound incredible， but since I started to learn incense culture， my health gets better and I am no longer troubled by the stress and exhaustion from my early years of building my business.”

The health benefits come from the medicine elements in the agarwood. In fact， many incense wood are traditional Chinese medicines， said Pan. “Agarwood for example is good for relaxation， breathing and kidney. Incense appreciation is a way of health preservation.”

Burning is not the only way to absorb incense. You can also granulate incense wood into powder to either eat or drink， or you may make a high quality wood into an artwork to be preserved and sniffed from time to time.

She also studied Kodo in Japan. “Like tea brewing and floral arrangement， Kodo is a way to calm the mind and enjoy a physical and spiritual satisfaction in its slow and steady manners. ”

張丹陽(yáng)：香之道，在于感悟

張丹陽(yáng)的父親是國(guó)內(nèi)著名沉香收藏家“武哥”張曉武。生在一個(gè)沉香收藏世家，年輕的張丹陽(yáng)從小就接觸到了香文化。雖然從小接受父親的言傳身教，但他喜歡沉香也是最近幾年的事。

20多歲時(shí)，張丹陽(yáng)開(kāi)始真正喜歡上沉香，喜歡的理由是“因?yàn)槌料愫芸帷薄Ｄ莻€(gè)年代出生的年輕人玩沉香，在朋友看來(lái)，既有神秘感，又讓人羨慕。只是張丹陽(yáng)青年時(shí)性格張揚(yáng)，并不能得沉香之真味。

赴日本留學(xué)時(shí)，張丹陽(yáng)開(kāi)始系統(tǒng)地研究了日本香道。他發(fā)現(xiàn)香道在日本文化中具有重要地位。在古代日本，香道便分志野流和御家流兩個(gè)流派，當(dāng)時(shí)皇族使用御家流，武士階層使用志野流，對(duì)等級(jí)的要求極為嚴(yán)格。至今香道在日本同樣是貴族們的專(zhuān)屬，只有那些具有社會(huì)地位、經(jīng)濟(jì)地位或文學(xué)修養(yǎng)的人才從事香道。

日式香道的一板一式十分吸引張丹陽(yáng)，將做工精致的整套器具攤在香臺(tái)上，持爐、夾炭、埋灰、架銀葉片、置香，每個(gè)步驟都慢條斯理，頗有韻味。尤其在日式香會(huì)上，人們圍桌以跪姿坐定，在等香爐變溫時(shí)，每人都要領(lǐng)一套筆墨紙硯，爐子溫了，先將香爐依次傳遞品味，再將所判斷的爐中香材種類(lèi)寫(xiě)在紙上，最后由香元（裁判）揭曉答案。整個(gè)香會(huì)在形式上被做到了極致。

日式香道中，沉香是至上的香材。張丹陽(yáng)偶爾會(huì)自己一個(gè)人在家擺設(shè)香席、做香道。不是為了表演，只是為在香道的一板一式中，靜靜感受沉香的韻味，體會(huì)其中禪悟。“社會(huì)太浮躁，有時(shí)需要借助沉香、香道使自己沉靜下來(lái)，摒除雜念地去思考與感悟。這個(gè)過(guò)程妙不可言。”

相對(duì)于日式香道，中國(guó)的香文化則體現(xiàn)了一種隨性的云淡風(fēng)輕，就像一個(gè)道士焚上一爐香，然后神游天外，物我兩忘。張丹陽(yáng)覺(jué)得，若說(shuō)日本香道是在極致中求自然，中國(guó)香文化則是大巧若拙、返璞歸真。

“在品味沉香時(shí)，處處都是禪。例如沉香行成的原因，沉香木先受?chē)?yán)重創(chuàng)傷，經(jīng)過(guò)多年‘傷口’愈合，才能‘結(jié)出’最好的沉香。這本身就帶著禪意。”

品香的方法

香篆法：

香篆法產(chǎn)生于中國(guó)唐宋時(shí)期，也叫拓香，用一個(gè)叫香篆的模具，將香粉填入、壓平，然后取出香篆，便形成了香篆上的紋樣。點(diǎn)燃香粉，香便隨著香篆的圖案燃燒。

隔火熏香：

隔火熏香是源自日本的品香方法，用一個(gè)瓷杯一樣的香爐盛上適量煙灰，再把燃燒的炭塊埋在煙灰中，爐上放置一片銀葉，再取少量香料撒在銀葉上，爐中炭火的熱量可使香味緩慢發(fā)散，一手持爐、一手蓋住爐口，湊近深嗅爐中散發(fā)的香味。由于香味散發(fā)緩慢，有持久性，所以隔火熏香也分為前、中、后三個(gè)階段，不同時(shí)間、不同階段都有其獨(dú)特的韻味。

Zhang Danyang， Zen in Incense Appreciation

Zhang Danyang was born to an agarwood collector’s family. But he did not develop a real fondness of the wood until very recent years.

At 20， he decided to love agarwood because “it is cool” and it makes him mysterious and popular among his friends. But he acknowledges that he did not understand the real charm of the wood in those years.

He started to study Kodo when he was studying in Japan and he found out that Kodo plays an important role in Japanese culture. In ancient Japan， Kodo branched into two schools， the Oie-ryu School which prevailed among the court class， and the Shino-ryu School， which is popular among samuri. Even to date， Kodo is a very hierarchical activity in Japan. Only aristocrats and people with high social， economical and academic status can engage in Kodo.

Zhang Danyang was attracted to the manners and formalities of Kodo. Each step of preparing Kodo is slow but rhythmic. The Kumikō is the epitome of Kodo ceremonies. On a Kumiko game， participants sit near one another and take turns smelling incense from a censer as they pass it around the group， then they write down the materials used in the incense， and finally a judge announces the right answer.

In Japanese Kodo， agarwood is the highest quality raw material. Sometimes， Zhang Danyang would practice Kodo at home， not to perform for anyone， but to experience the Zen through the preparation and sniffing of incense. “Sometime we need agarwood and Kodo to leave the bustle of everyday life behind， quieten the mind， and practice introspection.”

Unlike Japanese Kodo which seeks nature through ceremonies， Chinese incense culture is more casual and natural， like a Taoist lost in thinking with a censer of burning incense.

“Zen is everywhere in incense appreciation. The best agarwood comes from the healing of a wood that has suffered many years of injury. This forming process speaks much of Zen.”

Incense engraving

Incense engraving originated in the Tang dynasty. Fill incense powder into an engraving mold， tamp it tight， and you will get an incense with patterns. When you lit it up， it will burn along the lines of the engraved pattern.

How to Prepare the Kodo Censer

Fill the incense censer with incense ash， bury burning charcoal into the ash， place a silver leaf the buried charcoal， drop in some incense wood， then hold the censer in one hand， cover it with the other hand， and close in to sniff. The heating of the incense is slow and can be divided into three phases. Each phase is a unique experience.

徐楚峰：沉香市場(chǎng)已無(wú)漏可撿

“炒沉香是近幾年的事，但早在古時(shí)候沉香就價(jià)值連城，甚至可以像金銀一樣成為硬通貨。”對(duì)于沉香這種比較名貴的香材，徐楚峰如是說(shuō)。

徐楚峰喜歡品香已經(jīng)很多年，時(shí)間久了，就能發(fā)現(xiàn)沉香更大的魅力。在他看來(lái)這種魅力在于品味的過(guò)程，就像品一支雪茄或紅酒一樣，一塊香料在不同的時(shí)間和階段會(huì)產(chǎn)生不同的香氣；而一爐香在前、中、后三個(gè)燃燒階段時(shí)味道也有所不同，這種細(xì)細(xì)品味的復(fù)雜感覺(jué)恰是欣賞沉香的迷人之處。

除了焚香，有時(shí)沉香會(huì)以雕刻擺件的形態(tài)成為收藏家的藏品。根據(jù)木質(zhì)不同，沉香大致可分為惠安系和星洲系兩個(gè)類(lèi)型。星洲系沉香體積大，味道比較濃郁，常常被雕刻成擺件。人們信手把玩，放在鼻子附近嗅一嗅便有脫俗的香氣。而惠安系沉香體積較小，味道細(xì)膩，只有經(jīng)過(guò)加熱才能散發(fā)優(yōu)雅的香氣。

大多數(shù)沉香愛(ài)好者喜歡從收藏星洲系沉香入手，因?yàn)橘p玩星洲系沉香不必焚就可得其雅，所以更容易保值。可一旦深入此道，便會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)投惠安系沉香，因?yàn)槌料憔拖裆虾玫钠咸丫疲詹氐揭欢〞r(shí)間，只有喝了才能體會(huì)它真正的價(jià)值。

過(guò)了以上兩個(gè)階段，人們可能會(huì)接觸“和香”，就是根據(jù)自己的喜好和養(yǎng)生需要合成香料。“和香”不僅需要玩家對(duì)香道十分了解，還需掌握香材本身和中醫(yī)養(yǎng)生等豐富的知識(shí)，是香文化中最高級(jí)的玩法，會(huì)“和香”的人更是十分稀有。

但對(duì)一般藏家來(lái)說(shuō)，其實(shí)怎么玩都無(wú)所謂，關(guān)鍵是要買(mǎi)真的，避免買(mǎi)到假貨。隨著近年沉香市場(chǎng)價(jià)格的暴漲，上好的奇楠沉香甚至已經(jīng)賣(mài)到數(shù)萬(wàn)元每克。很多冒充名貴香材的假香也越來(lái)越多。而很多人上當(dāng)?shù)脑蚓褪潜в小皳炻钡男膽B(tài)。

三年前徐楚峰的一位朋友以1700元/克的價(jià)錢(qián)收了一塊奇楠沉香，拿給徐楚峰來(lái)鑒定。盡管那時(shí)奇楠的單價(jià)雖沒(méi)有現(xiàn)在這么貴，但也達(dá)到了五六千元每克，從那個(gè)價(jià)錢(qián)來(lái)看，朋友應(yīng)該是撿了一個(gè)大漏。

“這塊‘奇楠沉香’僅從外觀上不太能看出問(wèn)題，但朋友不放心，我就用刀刮了一點(diǎn)，放在爐上鑒定，聞過(guò)之后才發(fā)現(xiàn)這是一款以馬來(lái)沉香冒充的‘高仿品’。”徐楚峰說(shuō)，奇楠是沉香中最名貴的品種，難免有假貨，剛開(kāi)始接觸沉香的人需要多品、多學(xué)，“看多了，品多了，也就分得清好壞了”。

而一般假貨分為兩種：一種是“一眼假”；還有一種就是“高仿”。具備一定知識(shí)的人認(rèn)出一眼假很容易，可辨別高仿就需要一定的辨別能力了，在收藏圈有一句話(huà)，叫“寧可買(mǎi)貴，絕不買(mǎi)假”，所以對(duì)沉香的了解十分重要。而且收藏沉香不能抱有撿漏的心態(tài)，因?yàn)槿缃竦某料闶袌?chǎng)可以說(shuō)早已無(wú)漏可撿了。

最名貴的奇楠

奇楠是最名貴的沉香，但卻與沉香有些區(qū)別。沉香的結(jié)油是從外向里，皮面的油脂比較多，奇楠多為樹(shù)芯內(nèi)部感染真菌形成的內(nèi)結(jié)香，內(nèi)部的油脂豐富。奇楠的香氣變化豐富，也更持久，當(dāng)然價(jià)格上好的沉香都上萬(wàn)元每克。

Xu Chufeng： No chances to take

“Agarwood speculation is a very recent phenomenon. Agarwood has been priceless since ancient times that it could be used as hard currency like gold and silver.”

Xu Chufeng has been appreciating incense for years. To him， the beauty of incense appreciating lies in the process. Like cigar or wine， incense produces different fragrance at different times and stages. The burning of incense can be divided into three stages.

Apart from burning， agarwood is sometimes made into artworks. By place of origin， agarwood is generally divided into Huian agarwood and Xingzhou agarwood. The bigger and more aromatic Xingzhou agarwood is often made into artworks， while the smaller and more refined Huian agarwood smells better when hearted.

Most agarwood enthusiasts would start by collecting Xingzhou agarwood， because it maintains value and does not need to be heated or burned. But once you are into it， you would soon turn to Huian agarwood， because like good wines， you do not get its real value until you have tasted it.

Some collector might go one step further to “mix incense”， which is to make incense based on your preference and health needs. But it requires full understanding of incense and knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. Only a limited number of people master the art of mixing incense.

But for average collectors， what matters most is not how to mix incense， but how to tell authentic wood from fake. As the price of agarwood continue to rise， more and more fake agarwood find the way into the market. Most people get cheated because they think they can outsmart the sellers and buy a good wood at low price.

Three years ago， a friend of Xu Chufeng bought a piece of heartwood at 1700RMB/gram when the market price was 5000 to 6000 RMB and presented it to Xu Chufeng for appraisal.

“The ‘heartwood’ appears all right， but my friend was not confident， so I scrapped a little， heated it on the censer， and found out it is a ‘high quality fake’”. Xu said， heartwood is the most precious agarwood， so there could be fakes. “The more you see and appreciate， the easier it is for you to tell the difference.”

It is easy to detect outright fakes， but it takes discernment to tell high quality fakes. As a saying goes among agarwood collector， a collector would “rather pay extra than buy a fake”. Never expect that you can take chances in the agarwood market.

Heartwood

Heartwood is the most precious agarwood because it forms from inside the tree and therefore has richer resin. The aroma of heartwood is more volatile and lasting. The price of heartwood may vary from several thousand to over 10 thousand.