Guanxiang Agarwood Bridges the Greater Bay Area: 40 Hong Kong Residents Visit Dongguan Agarwood Culture Exhibition Hall

From the Historic Incense Market to the Maritime Silk Road

On the afternoon of 11 October, the Liaobu Volunteer Association of Dongguan and the Dongguan Mainland-Hong Kong Compatriots Association jointly held the 'Fragrant Rendezvous in the Greater Bay Area · Guanxiang Ties of Home' intangible cultural heritage experience at the Dongguan Agarwood Culture Exhibition Hall, gathering 40 Hong Kong residents living in the city. The event opened with a guided study tour of the agarwood museum: docents led participants through the galleries, recounting the history of Liaobu's incense market and explaining the deep ties between Guanxiang agarwood and the Maritime Silk Road, helping everyone read the cultural thread of the Bay Area hidden in the artefacts. As a signature cultural symbol of Dongguan, Guanxiang witnessed the commercial prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road and carries the shared cultural memory of compatriots in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

Incense-Art Performance and Handmade Coiled Incense

Incense artists presented an refined incense-art (zhuanxiang) performance, completing the full traditional ritual sequence — lighting, arranging and pressing the incense — with fluent, unhurried movements that brought out the elegance of Chinese incense culture. In the handmade coiled incense session, volunteers explained each step, from blending the incense powder to pressing the mould, and participants kneaded the paste and pressed their own coils. This 'participate and take it home' format is precisely the key step that moves agarwood cultural tourism from static display to immersive consumption — the on-site incense shop's curated products and limited-edition cultural creations let visitors carry a piece of Guanxiang home.

Backed by a Long-Term Programme

According to the organisers, the 'Fragrant Rendezvous in the Greater Bay Area — Disseminating the Incense Market Culture of the Maritime Silk Road' volunteer service programme is a funded project under the coordinated development of volunteer services in the Greater Bay Area. It runs long-term study tours, intangible heritage workshops and cultural talks for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao communities. Going forward, the Liaobu Volunteer Association will continue to mine the core of Guanxiang culture and stage more Bay Area cultural exchange activities to tell the Guanxiang story well.

This article is an industry observation and educational summary; it does not constitute any trading or investment advice. Please purchase agarwood through legal channels and look for traceable, testable sources.