We created our new incense Awaken based on the ancient recipe “南朝遗梦”. The name can be directly translated as “dreams left from the Southern Dynasty”, which is reflecting the romantic and free-spirited social atmosphere during the Wei and Jin Dynasty. Wei and Jin Dynasty is actually a time when Taoism became popular again and is re-interpreted after a chaotic time.
The recipe is not only an embodiment of such chill and romantic spirit, but also a refreshing scent that wakes people up from dreams, realizing that such time is already gone with the wind.
Coincidentally, one of the core ingredients — peach blossom, is actually commonly used in the word “桃源” (origin of peach blossom), which is the secret place where Yuanming Tao, one of the most famous poet in the Jin Dynasty, hid from the politics and disturbance of the outside world. His famous passage is not only a description of the cozy life in the secret place, but also a longing for the peaceful life and a complaint to the dictatorship at the time.
To embody the realization at the time that life is short and exploring different forms of life is the way to expand one’s time alive, the recipe uses the combination of borneol and peach blossom to resemble the romantic feeling and the awakening from dreams.
Borneol is a plant that has a chilly scent like mint. It is a great ingredient that clears the mind, wakes up the body yet also calming down the spirit. Peach blossom brings in the sweet floral scent that softens the sharpness from borneol, landing on the basis of sandalwood and clove flowers.
The combination of chilliness, sweetness and the grounding woody base allows the peach blossom incense to balance waking up and calming down, making it the best companion for studying, working and being with oneself for mental clarity.
