On the afternoon of June 12, 2025, a wisp of agarwood fragrance lingered on the 30th floor of the Oriental Fisherman's Wharf International Center in Yangpu Binjiang along the Huangpu River. The "Elegance of Bronze Incense Burners • Fragrance and Tea Appreciation" Sino-Foreign Cultural Exchange Salon, carefully planned by the Italian Innovation Center, was held here. Hosted by the Italian Innovation Center, the event specially invited Gao Lei, curator of the "Chen Qiaosheng Bronze Incense Burner" Fragrance Studio (a national intangible cultural heritage), and Chen Bingxin, a national-level incense master, to bring an immersive Oriental aesthetic experience to nearly 20 European cultural elites in Shanghai, national-level inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, and teachers and students from Fudan University.

【品茶会友：以茶为媒促交流】

沙龙在愉悦的交流中拉开帷幕。来宾们首先参与了"品茶会友"环节，在专业茶艺师的引导下，品鉴特选冰岛龙珠和东方传统点心。来自比利时的国际友人艾力赞叹道："茶汤在煮水器中沸腾的声音，仿佛在演奏一曲东方的交响乐。

Bronze Incense Burner Culture: A Millennium of Craftsmanship Showcases Charm

During the "Chen Qiaosheng Bronze Incense Burner Culture Presentation" session, Gao Lei, curator of the "Chen Qiaosheng Bronze Incense Burner" Fragrance Studio, vividly explained the handcrafted casting techniques and design aesthetics of "Qiaosheng Bronze Incense Burners" in both Chinese and English. More than a dozen classic bronze burners from various dynasties were displayed on site, among which a handcrafted "Qiaosheng Boshan Burner" drew praise from the guests. Andrea, an artist from Italy, commented: "The gilding technique of the bronze burner shares similar ingenuity with the Renaissance goldsmithing in our culture."

Magic Joy: The Collision of Tradition and Modernity

The event's specially arranged magic show segment offered a refreshing experience. Eli, a magician and "new Shanghainese," integrated traditional bronze incense burner elements into close-up poker magic, interpreting the Oriental philosophical concept of "interdependence of the real and the imaginary" through humorous performances.

Incense Making Experience: Immersing the Senses in Zen Consciousness

The final "Incense Making Experience" segment brought the event to a climax. Under the guidance of Chen Bingxin, a national senior incense practitioner and national-level incense master, guests 亲手 (handmade) created incense seals, savoring the artistic conception of agarwood slowly rising in bronze burners. Professor Tu Yichao from Fudan University, an international expert in religious politics, shared after the experience: "In this wisp of blue smoke, I seem to have touched the soul of our Oriental culture."

Xu Shunwu, Director of the Italian Innovation Center, stated: "Through such in-depth cultural exchanges, we hope to enable more international friends to understand and fall in love with traditional Chinese culture." It is reported that this salon is the first event of the Italian Innovation Center's "Encountering Intangible Cultural Heritage" series. In the future, more Sino-foreign cultural exchange projects will be launched, striving to build Yangpu Binjiang into an "international cultural reception hall".