The history of Chinese aromatherapy is of long standing. In ancient times, people burned firewood to offer sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth. This was the initial form of incense. At that time, aromatherapy was mainly used for religious sacrifices and rarely involved in daily life. Our ancestors had already used incense in daily life more than 5,000 and 4,000 years ago. At this time, the way of using incense was fumigation. The spices were mostly local fragrant woods and herbs, such as eupatorium, orchid grass, citronella, and mugwort leaves.

Entering the pre-Qin period, incense culture began to germinate. The use of incense for sacrifices continued to follow the ancient traditions, while the scope of incense use in daily life gradually expanded. People used specific spices and wore sachets. At the same time, bathing with spices has become a daily etiquette.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the country was strong and the people were prosperous, providing an excellent social foundation for the development of incense culture. The consumption of incense products was far greater than that of previous generations. The customs of using and enjoying incense spread from the court to the people. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, shipbuilding technology was advanced and maritime trade was prosperous, with a large volume of spice imports and exports. During this period, incense culture moved from the aristocracy to the common people and from scholars' studies to the marketplace.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, incense-making technology, incense utensil craftsmanship, and incense product types had even greater progress. Stick incense, rod incense, and pagoda incense were widely used. The custom of using incense among the people was even more prosperous. Incense conquered court aristocrats, literati, and even common people.

Chinese aromatherapy culture also had a profound influence on Japanese incense culture. With exchanges between China and Japan, Chinese incense culture was introduced to Japan. On the basis of absorbing Chinese incense culture, Japan innovated and developed by combining local culture and formed a unique style.