It wasn’t always simple to check the time by looking at your smartphone; in the past, people used clocks made of sand, stone, shades, wheels, etc. to tell the time. Before everyone in society could afford mechanical timepieces, it was popular in China during the early Cheng family era and principally relies on fire.
Even though they look sophisticated, incense hours are simple to operate.
It was also essential for daily life since people could use these hours as timers for lights. But how exactly did these hours function, and why were they utilised for so long? According to Ancient Organis The incense hours were complicated as they were accurate, to make the watches burn for a whole day, it had to be designed like small mazes.
The watches were made of sturdy metals and were fire resistant so that they could not be damaged or burned by the heat of the flames, despite being small enough to fit comfortably in your hand. The small sculptures will spin impressively around the face of the full watch to form a detailed and entirely separate maze.
The incense watch is made up of multiple trays, and the lower steps are where you’ll find the instruments you’ll need to run it, such a tiny, smooth shovel.
The higher stairs had several stencil moulds for the watch, while the lower stairs held ashes to place along the incense route. Although the same time has not altered by its nature, each stencil is made to burn for slightly varied lengths of time. Some stencils are also associated with particular seasons.
They used several stencil templates to chart this transition between the length of the day and the length of the night since during the summer the day lasted for a longer duration and during the winter the night lasted for a longer period.
Have you ever heard of the traditional incense hour practised in China?
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