A bundle of dark brown incense sticks laid out horizontally in front of a brown kraft paper tube, with another upright tube behind it on a solid beige background.
A rectangular white box containing a rolled brown incense stick, shown with the matching lid above on a warm beige background. The lid has a label reading 'Autumn Hills incense' and the brand 'Yi Jun' is embossed on the side.
A minimalist white wooden box with a sliding open lid, revealing a small cylindrical incense holder inside. The brand name 'YIN N' is subtly embossed on the lid.
A single incense stick burns in a long, rectangular white ceramic holder against a warm beige background, with a thin wisp of smoke curling upward.
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AUTUMN HILLS · PLUM

$45.00 USD
$45.00 USD
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DRY AUTUMN WOODS · HERBS · A PLUM-LIKE TRACE

A Chinese blended incense built around dry woods, earthy herbs and an unexpected sour-sweet note reminiscent of plum.

Dry herbs and a faint medicinal edge appear first. Jiangzhen wood and cypress then form a dense, clear woodland body, while spikenard adds earthy, herbal depth. As the incense settles, a tart sweetness begins to emerge.

There is no plum in the blend. The plum-like note emerges from the blend itself; no plum fragrance is added.

This blend needs some room to open. In a larger or well-ventilated space, the dry woods, earthy herbs and plum-like tart sweetness separate more clearly.

Core aromatic materials: Jiangzhen Wood · Cypress · Spikenard · Clove · Cinnamon · a trace of Frankincense

Net weight: 10 g
Stick count: Approx. 24 (typically 21–27)
Stick length: 21 cm
Diameter: 1.8 mm
Burn time: Approx. 45 minutes per stick
Approx. total burn time: 16–20 hours

Each tube is hand-filled by net weight. As the sticks are handmade, their thickness and density vary slightly, so the exact count and total burn time may differ from tube to tube.

Made in Qingyuan, Guangdong, China

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Why This Chinese Incense Smells Like Plum Without Plum

Qingyuan Xiang is a traditional Chinese blended incense. Here, Qingyuan describes more than a formula name: it suggests a scent that feels clear, open and able to travel through space rather than remain dense or close.

Our incense maker kept the structure of the traditional formula while reshaping it toward his own idea of this “clear and far-reaching” quality. Musk was removed, cypress was introduced to give the woods a cleaner, more spacious structure, and cinnamon was added to soften the heavier character of spikenard and clove.

The result feels distinctly autumnal — dry woods, herbs and spice opening into something crisp, spacious and awake. Clove and cinnamon give the blend a brighter aromatic lift without turning it sweet.

There is no plum in the formula.

Yet when Jiangzhen wood, cypress, spikenard, clove and cinnamon burn together, a sour-sweet note appears between the woods and herbs — unexpectedly reminiscent of plum.

Nothing plum-scented has been added. It is a new aroma created by the materials meeting one another.

That is where the name comes from: Qiu Shan Mei Yi — autumn hills, with a faint idea of plum.

Explore more Chinese incense blends in the YINN collection.

More than scent: Wei & Qi

Wei (味) is what the nose perceives. Qi (气) is the character of an aromatic material as it moves through the air and meets the person living with it.

In Chinese incense culture, aromatic materials have long been understood not only by scent, but also by qualities such as warm or cool, rising or settling, opening or gathering. These ideas come from the same tradition of materia medica that looks at how plants interact with the body and a person’s state.

This is also close to the Chinese idea of yang (养) — to support and nourish over time. The aim is not a dramatic immediate effect, but to choose aromas whose qualities feel in harmony with the person, so they can be lived with comfortably and beneficially over the long term.

In He Xiang, materials are therefore blended for both Wei and Qi. A scent may smell woody and bittersweet, yet feel warm and gently opening; another may smell floral, yet feel quiet and settling.

YINN chooses and recommends incense by both what you smell and how you want to feel.

Natural materials. Handmade form

YINN incense is made from natural aromatic materials and shaped by hand.

  • Natural woods, herbs, resins and flowers
  • Fine, slender incense sticks
  • A relatively light incense body, allowing the aromatic materials to express themselves as they burn
  • Handmade — slight curves and small variations are natural
  • Natural colour varies with each formula
  • Many materials can still be smelled before the incense is lit
  • Made for scent and burn quality, not visual uniformity

How One Stick Is Made

Traditional He Xiang is made through a sequence of distinct stages. Drying is not the end — the incense still needs time to settle before it is ready.

  1. Sorting & Cleaning

    Woods, herbs, resins and flowers are selected, cleaned and prepared before they enter the formula.

  2. Pao Zhi (炮制)

    Different materials are treated differently. Depending on the material, this may include soaking, steaming, boiling, roasting or drying to prepare it for blending.

  3. Grinding & Sieving

    Each prepared material is ground separately and sieved to the fineness required by the formula.

  4. Blending & Kneading

    The powders are weighed according to the maker’s formula, blended with water and natural plant binder, then repeatedly kneaded and allowed to rest.

  5. Shaping & Shade-Drying

    The rested incense dough is formed into fine sticks and slowly dried in a shaded, ventilated environment.

  6. Resting & Cellar Ageing

    Drying is not the final step. The finished incense is rested and cellar-aged — traditionally described as qu xing (去性) and jiao cang (窖藏) — until the newly made incense has settled further.

How to Use the Box

The packaging box converts into an incense holder, so no separate holder is required. It stores and protects the sticks before use, supports the incense while it burns, and helps contain fallen ash. Place it on a stable, heat-resistant surface, keep the room ventilated, and never leave burning incense unattended. Keep away from children, pets and flammable materials.

Set the holder

Open the box and place the fixing piece into its position inside the box.

Insert and light

Insert one stick into the metal holder. Light the tip, then gently blow out the flame and allow the glowing ember to burn.

Let it finish naturally

The ash falls directly into the box. When the burning incense reaches the metal head, it extinguishes naturally. Allow the ash and holder to cool completely before emptying the box.

Learn why we designed the incense box to become the holder →