Agarwood is 沉香 in Chinese (chénxiāng in Mandarin; also known as aloeswood or oud). Hong Kong's own native agarwood tree, Aquilaria sinensis, is called 土沉香 — the Incense Tree (also 白木香 or 牙香樹). It is a native Hong Kong species and is linked to one of the most widely told stories of how Hong Kong got its name. It also has a long place in incense culture and in traditional Chinese herbal records. Let's get to know the Incense Tree!
What the Incense Tree Looks Like
The Incense Tree is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 15 metres tall. Its young branches are cylindrical and wrinkled. It has dark green, oval leaves with short pointed tips, and its flowers give off a faint, delicate scent at night.
A Short History of Agarwood
- In religion, agarwood has long been regarded by Chinese people as the highest grade of incense for worship, burned as offerings to heaven, earth, the deities and ancestors.
- In medicine, agarwood was already recorded in the Mingyi Bielu (名醫別錄, compiled by Tao Hongjing in the Liang dynasty, listed in the upper grade), and is described in detail in the wood section of Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu (本草綱目, Ming dynasty). Traditional herbal texts mainly use it in formulas for qi-stagnation pain, cold-stomach vomiting and hiccups, and rebellious-qi wheezing.
How Hong Kong Got Its Name
The character 香 ("fragrant") in Hong Kong (香港, "fragrant harbour") is widely believed to come from the Incense Tree. According to the Hong Kong Herbarium, citing historian Professor Lo Hsiang-lin, Incense Trees were widely grown in the Song dynasty around Dongguan and in today's Lek Yuen (Sha Tin) and Sha Lo Wan (Lantau) (other sources date the peak of the incense trade to the Ming dynasty). Farmers carried the incense (known as "Guan incense", 莞香) overland to Tsim Sha Tau (today's Tsim Sha Tsui), then by small boat to Shek Pai Wan (today's Aberdeen), where it was shipped on to mainland China and Southeast Asia. Shek Pai Wan became known as the "incense harbour", and "Hong Kong" later became the name of the whole territory.
👉🏻 For more on the story, see the Hong Kong Herbarium's "Incense Tree and the Naming of Hong Kong".
Uses of Agarwood and Traditional Records
When an Incense Tree is wounded it produces resin; the resin-filled wood is agarwood. Agarwood, along with the tree's wood and branches, can be burned or distilled to bring a clean, fragrant scent to a room and a sense of ritual to daily life. Many incense users find its scent helps them settle the mind and create a focused, reflective atmosphere, and in traditional incense culture it is also burned to freshen living spaces. It is used today to make incense sticks, scented oils, candles and other incense products.
In religious and incense traditions, agarwood's scent is often associated with a calm, uplifted state of mind. This describes cultural and sensory experience, not a medical effect.
Agarwood is also a traditional Chinese medicinal material. Here is a summary of what the classical texts and the pharmacopoeia record:
A note on Chinese herbal records: Agarwood first appears in the Mingyi Bielu (upper grade) and is described in detail in volume 34 (wood section, fragrant woods) of the Bencao Gangmu. The current Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China defines 沉香 as the resin-containing wood of Aquilaria sinensis (Thymelaeaceae). It is described as acrid, bitter and slightly warm, entering the spleen, stomach and kidney channels, with the functions "moving qi to relieve pain, warming the middle to stop vomiting, and helping the kidneys grasp qi to ease wheezing" (行氣止痛，溫中止嘔，納氣平喘). The listed dose is 1–5 g, added near the end of decoction, with caution for people with yin deficiency and fire, and in pregnancy. This refers to the medicinal material prepared to pharmacopoeia standards and prescribed by a Chinese medicine practitioner — not to burning agarwood incense.
Where Agarwood Comes From
Today, agarwood mainly comes from Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia, where agarwood plantations combine cultivation with semi-wild growing. Buyers should check where agarwood comes from to avoid buying illegal agarwood.
Agarwood from different regions has different scents. Soil, climate and water all shape its fragrance, and even agarwood from the same region can smell different when burned, which is part of its charm.
Why the Incense Tree Matters to Hong Kong
According to the Government's Greening tree information and conservation work by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, the Incense Tree is a feng shui woodland species and a native species, providing shelter and nectar for local wildlife. Conserving its genetic diversity helps the species adapt to environmental change and survive pressures such as pests and diseases.
The Incense Tree Today
Agarwood's value has made the Incense Tree a target of illegal felling, and it faces a serious threat. Usually only more mature trees (AFCD notes typically over 15 years old) may form fragrant resin after being wounded and infected by fungi, and high-grade agarwood takes many years to accumulate. Its value has made it a sought-after commodity, worsening illegal felling and threatening the ecosystem. For example, the Incense Tree, native to southern China, has been heavily felled to meet strong demand from the Chinese medicine and incense markets.
How to Protect the Incense Tree
- The Incense Tree is assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and all Aquilaria species are listed in CITES Appendix II. It is also included in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586).
- The Hong Kong Government has fenced some wild Incense Trees and works with Customs on import and export controls to combat illegal felling and smuggling.
- Everyone can help by caring for Incense Trees in the city and countryside, checking where agarwood comes from, and refusing to buy or sell illegal agarwood.
The Incense Tree is a symbol of Hong Kong's history and part of the story behind the city's name. Heung Yau hopes to make incense a symbol of Hong Kong, and a Hong Kong souvenir, through traditional handmade incense.
HEUNG YAU AGARWOOD INCENSE
Bring the scent of agarwood home
Tears is built around two Hoi An (惠安) agarwoods; Zen pairs sandalwood with frankincense and agarwood. Handmade in Hong Kong with no added essential oils or chemicals.
50 sticks per box · approx. 9cm · ~20 min burn · incense holder included
100% natural wood · No added essential oils or chemicals · Made in Hong Kong
Want to try a small amount first? Agarwood incense cones, 5 for HK$45 (choose Agarwood)
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