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The hill censer or ''boshanlu'' (博山爐 "universal mountain censer" or ''boshan xianglu'' 博山香爐) is a type of Chinese
censer A censer, incense burner, perfume burner or pastille burner is a vessel made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout t ...
used for burning
incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...
. Hill censers first start appearing in tombs dating to the
Western Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
(202 BCE – 23 CE). Fashioned with a conical lid, the censers were designed to look like miniature mountains. The more elaborately crafted versions incorporate imagery of trees, wild animals, and humans among the rocky crags of the landscape. The scented smoked is vented through apertures in the lid, creating a scene reminiscent of clouds swirling around a mountain. The earliest vessels of this type were recovered from tombs of the imperial family, including Liu Sheng (d. 113 BCE), half-brother of the famed
Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign la ...
(157 – 87 BCE). Some excavated vessels lack vents and are thus believed to be examples of ''
mingqi Mingqi (Chinese:  or , p ''míngqì''), sometimes referred to as "spirit objects" or "vessels for ghosts", are Chinese burial goods. They included daily utensils, musical instruments, weapons, armor, and intimate objects such as the d ...
'', or "spirit objects." These latter objects are often called "hill jars" by scholars. Because hill censers first appeared when beliefs in sacred mountains inhabited by
immortals Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
were gaining in popularity, it is commonly thought these objects were crafted to represent these fantastic locations. Most frequently, hill censers are claimed to be depictions of
Mount Penglai Penglai () is a legendary land of Chinese mythology. It is known in Japanese mythology as Hōrai.McCullough, Helen. ''Classical Japanese Prose'', p. 570. Stanford Univ. Press, 1990. . Location According to the ''Classic of Mountains and Seas' ...
, the isle of the immortals located off the eastern coast of China. Some vessels have a tray as part of the foot support, further suggesting the censer represented a mountain island arising from the sea. Some scholars believe hill censers functioned as visual supports for envisioning the mountainous abodes of the immortals. Medieval Chinese sources suggest the close association of hill censers with the imperial court, noting they were used as wedding gifts for princes. The Han dynasty craftsman and mechanical engineer,
Ding Huan Ding Huan () was a Chinese craftsman, mechanical engineer, and inventor who lived in the first century BC during the Han dynasty. Among the inventions attributed to him is an air conditioning system based on evaporative cooling. Purported inventio ...
, is credited with creating a "nine-storied" hill censer carved with fantastic creatures that could move automatically.


References

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External links


Boshanlu
Detailed monograph with several examples
A Visual Primer for Chinese Mountain Censers (Boshan lu)
- Collection of hill censers from various time periods and regions in China Chinese inventions Han dynasty Incense equipment