A Street Named for Incense Sticks
Right here in my hometown, Chengdu, Sichuan, there is a street named after incense sticks.
Chengdu has many streets and alleys that have disappeared over time, and Incense Sticks Street is one of the most distinctive.
Originally, Incense Sticks Street was located north of Shangxi Shuncheng Street, stretching from Yudaiqiao Street in the south to Zhengfu Street in the north. In 1992, during a city expansion, it was incorporated into Shuncheng Street. The street earned its name in the early Qing Dynasty because it was once a central hub for the production and sale of incense sticks.
- Incense Sticks Street residential buildings, 1990s (Photo by Yan Yongcong)
Many people are not familiar with incense sticks. These are linear, boneless incense, also called straight sticks or herbal incense. They are made by blending a base material, binder, aromatic ingredients, colorants, and other auxiliary herbs, then rolled into sticks roughly the thickness of a match. To distinguish them from bamboo-core incense used for worship, they were called “Xian” or incense sticks. Incense sticks date back to the Song and Ming dynasties. Due to their long burning time, they were also referred to as “immortal incense” or “longevity incense.”
Burning incense was a common practice in ancient society, especially among scholars and literati. Beyond the senses of sight, sound, and taste, it offered a unique sensory experience. Incense was used to refresh the mind, ward off impurities, and prevent disease. Ancient literature frequently references incense, with specialized works like Xiang Pu (Incense Manual) and Xiang Jian (Incense Notes). Wealthier households would burn fine powdered incense in censers, while ordinary families mainly used incense sticks made from fragrant plants. Even today, some families maintain the habit of burning incense sticks, though Incense Sticks Street no longer serves that function.
Incense Sticks Street once had another name—Daishu Street.
The Qing Dynasty folk song Singing Chengdu notes:"Daishu, originally named Incense Sticks Street, where someone writes documents for you."
This reflects that the street hosted numerous shops providing document-writing services for people filing lawsuits but unable to write themselves.
At that time, the western side of Incense Sticks Street was Zhengfu Street. People frequently traveled to county offices, and residents from surrounding counties came to the provincial capital to handle legal matters. Filing legal petitions required a specific format, which most ordinary people could not manage. Hence, these document-writing services became a defining feature of the street, earning it the name Daishu Street and even a brief official renaming.
- Incense Sticks Street residential buildings
- Intersection of Shuncheng Street and Incense Sticks Street, 1992 (Photo by Yan Yongcong)
Later, as incense shops concentrated here, the street restored its original name—Incense Sticks Street—which remained until 1992. Today, Zhengfu Street connects to Shuncheng Street in the east and Renmin Middle Road in the west. Historical maps show Zhengfu Street once extended east to Incense Sticks Street and west to Luomashi. Unfortunately, this scene no longer exists. With urban redevelopment, many old streets like Incense Sticks Street have faded into history, leaving only traces in records and the memories of older generations.
- Old Chengdu map
Incense Sticks Street, much like the incense sticks it was named after, releases a subtle fragrance as time passes. Slowly, it burns away and disappears, leaving only a wisp of smoke behind.
