In the long history of agarwood collection and sales in Guanzhu Town, Dianbai, especially under the leadership and promotion of the Party committees and governments at all levels in Dianbai, the agarwood industry in Guanzhu Town, Dianbai has developed rapidly in recent years, becoming the world-renowned first agarwood town. Among them, Wen Zhenxian is an important and almost well-known figure. He is not only the first discoverer of agarwood, but also the first person to successfully introduce wild rare and precious agarwood. He is also the first person to widely teach agarwood cultivation and planting techniques in Guanzhu Town and promote the planting of agarwood. Wen Zhenxian’s efforts have established Guanzhu Town’s status as the “first agarwood town” and made an indelible contribution to the prosperity and development of this industry.
1. Wen Zhenxian’s predestination with Kynam Agarwood and his legendary story
Mr. Wen Zhen was born in an ordinary peasant family in Shadong Village, Guanzhu Town. He has loved nature since he was a child and has a spirit of practical exploration. In Guanzhu Town, which has a long tradition of collecting, processing and selling traditional agarwood (white wood fragrance) in the wild, Mr. Wen Zhen has been collecting white wood fragrance in the wild all year round. His footprints have spread to the mountains and fields of local areas, Hainan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia where white wood fragrance is abundant. One day in 1998, more than 20 years ago, he accidentally discovered something similar to agarwood produced by a fragrant wood with a unique fragrance during a forest collection. At that time, he didn’t know what it was. After taking it home, he began to consult various Chinese herbal medicine books and research materials on agarwood and found that this is an extremely rare agarwood variety different from traditional white wood fragrance – agarwood. Even professionals who have been collecting white wood fragrance in the wild for many years rarely recognize this kind of agarwood. However, what is even more legendary is that he discovered that this rare agarwood is not only much more valuable than traditional white wood incense, but also several times the price of gold. The small piece of “rotten wood” he brought back was also bought for millions of yuan. This not only inspired Wen Zhenxian’s innate spirit of exploration, but also opened up a huge dream of pursuing discovery and creating wealth. He thought that being able to collect natural agarwood that is more expensive than gold is, after all, a pie in the sky. This surprise is a rare opportunity. If this rare wild agarwood can be artificially planted and produce agarwood, it would be a great thing to have a golden lump growing on the tree. So, he went deep into the mountains and forests to search hard, and finally found a branch of agarwood seedling. He planted it in the patio of his house as if it were a treasure. In 2000, he found that this rare agarwood seedling that he had been looking for so hard had grown into a big tree under artificial cultivation. This announced that he was the first in human history to successfully introduce wild rare agarwood artificially. This is an amazing exploration and success! However, wild agarwood seedlings are too rare and difficult to find. He wondered if he could cultivate agarwood seedlings through artificial grafting technology. After his long and arduous technical exploration, in 2007 he finally announced that with the grafting technology, only a small branch of wild agarwood leaves was grafted onto the tree tops of the traditional common white agarwood seedlings to cultivate real agarwood seedlings; in 2008, he figured out that the real agarwood branches were successfully planted, which was another amazing exploration and success! Thus, the problem of scarcity of real agarwood seedlings was solved technically and in production, and the precious agarwood species, agarwood, was brought out of the mountains and into people’s homes. This is the new story of thousands of households planting agarwood in Guanzhu, Dianbai. However, there is an indispensable plot in this story, which is how to make artificially planted agarwood trees produce real agarwood. The most exciting plot in his love for agarwood and the story is that he was the first to realize the production of real high-quality agarwood by artificial methods from domestically planted agarwood (due to the fewer natural pathogens and pests, the quality of domestically planted agarwood is higher). This is an even more remarkable exploration and success. These explorations and successes have made Wen Zhenxian the real first person and the real ancestor of agarwood! However, Wen Zhenxian’s agarwood story and exploration has not ended here. He is using his natural inquisitive character to continuously study and confirm the medical, incense and cultural value of artificially cultivated agarwood, so that agarwood, the “golden nugget” grown on trees, is not only a new product, but also a new industry. Wen Zhenxian, the first person to grow agarwood, is currently cultivating agarwood seedlings, artificially planting, product research and development and processing, and inheriting and promoting agarwood culture. He continues to lead the vast number of agarwood growers and the vigorous development of the Dianbai Guanzhu agarwood industry.
This is Wen Zhenxian’s legendary story about Kynam and agarwood. However, I want to tell you solemnly that this is not just a story, but the true history of how Kynam and agarwood came out of the mountains, entered millions of homes, became a big industry, and spread to the whole world!
Blow is the Kynam Agarwood tree Wen Zhenxian planted in the courtyard of his home in 1998: the ancestor of all artificially cultivated Kynam agarwood worldwide today
Photo by Deng Jianqing, reporter from Southern Daily，China
2. Wen Zhenxian’s four first discoveries and contributions to Kynam Agarwood cultivating technology、 industry development and culture
1. The first discovery and contribution: He was the first to discover that agarwood is a rare resource with higher value than traditional white agarwood .
As a rare and precious natural resource, although our ancestors have known and recorded it, it has been buried in deep mountains and old forests for thousands of years, and is rarely known and used. Its medicinal value, cultural value, and especially economic value have not been explored and utilized. Wen Zhenxian, due to his affinity with agarwood and his ability to think and explore, was the first to discover this rare resource among the people, which was “orchids grown in secluded valleys and unknown to anyone” (Su Che’s “Planting Orchids”), and finally he could “plant agarwood in the east pavilion and leave me incense”. Wen Zhenxian was the first to get the incense, but he did not enjoy it alone. He accidentally picked up agarwood, and a piece of “rotten wood” was worth millions. It was really a stone that stirred up a thousand waves. People spread the word and everyone knew about it. People came to him one after another and asked for opportunities. Many people who had agarwood in their hands came to him and asked for help in identifying whether the agarwood in their hands was agarwood, asking about its authenticity and price. Wen Zhenxian did not judge the real from the fake like the so-called treasure appraisers on CCTV, swindled the treasures at a low price of more than 100,000 yuan, and then auctioned them for tens of millions. Instead, he selflessly and voluntarily helped people solve their doubts, and was praised and sincerely thanked by the agarwood industry and the general public. The most important significance of this is that it made people truly understand the precious value of agarwood, which led to the subsequent stories and laid the confidence for the formation and development of the agarwood agarwood industry in Guanzhu Town. Without too much publicity and promotion, farmers spontaneously planted and processed agarwood products and received rich returns.
2. The second major discovery and contribution: the successful introduction of the rare wild agarwood into artificial species.
Wen Zhenxian, due to his affinity with agarwood, successfully introduced wild agarwood seedlings into his home. This is undoubtedly a major breakthrough in the current artificial cultivation of rare and precious agarwood, which has turned agarwood into an industry. In the past, our ancestors successfully domesticated poultry and livestock, which allowed us to have abundant fish and meat today. Although the significance of the two cannot be discussed in the same way, their spiritual essence is the same. Without the successful domestication of our ancestors, there would be no abundance on our table today; it can be said that without Wen Zhenxian’s bold exploration and successful introduction of wild agarwood, there would be no rise and development of the agarwood industry today.
3. The third major discovery and contribution: using artificial technology to make domesticated agarwood produce real high-quality agarwood.
Agarwood is a “nodule” formed by agarwood resin under certain circumstances, but generally speaking, agarwood trees do not naturally produce apples like apple trees. Agarwood trees can be planted artificially, but if there is no technology to make the artificially introduced Qinnan agarwood trees produce Qinnan agarwood, then this Qinnan agarwood tree is a “rooster” that cannot lay eggs, and Qinnan agarwood trees generally do not grow “golden lumps”. If there is no technology to make Qinnan agarwood trees produce agarwood artificially, then the success of artificially introduced Qinnan agarwood trees will be useless, and there will be no story of Guanzhu becoming the first town of Qinnan agarwood. This is the third major contribution of Wen Zhenxian.
4. The fourth first discovery and contribution: Using grafting technology to graft wild rare agarwood branches onto traditional common white agarwood tree heads, successfully cultivating agarwood seedlings.
In order to develop agarwood into an industry, an essential condition is to have a large number of agarwood seedlings. Wild agarwood seedlings are not only difficult to find, but also cost tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan each, and it is impossible to supply them on a large scale. Wen Zhenxian once again “fantastically” explored: grafting agarwood branches and leaves onto the heads of traditional ordinary white wood seedlings that can be cultivated and supplied in large quantities, and growing real agarwood seedlings. This is not only another major breakthrough in agarwood planting technology, but also makes it possible for farmers to plant agarwood on a large scale. Wen Zhenxian explored this technology, not only did he not keep it for himself to make a fortune, but he selflessly taught and helped the farmers, so that the surrounding farmers soon earned a lot of income by cultivating and selling agarwood seedlings. Although, at the beginning, there were not many fake agarwood saplings because even the real agarwood branches and leaves were rare, but with the widespread spread of the agarwood grafting technology first discovered by Wen Zhenxian, under the leadership and promotion of Wen Zhenxian, although there is now a large-scale agarwood planting in various places, there is a great demand for agarwood saplings, but now agarwood saplings have been fully supplied. This is Wen Zhenxian’s fourth contribution to the rise and development of the agarwood industry, and it is also an important condition for Dianbai Guanzhu Town to quickly develop into the first agarwood town.
3. Wen Zhenxian’s spirit of exploration and technical inheritance ignited the enthusiasm of millions of farmers to cultivate Kynam Agarwood and create wealth
- A selfless disseminator of agarwood technology and a leader in agarwood planting. As the first agarwood grower, Wen Zhenxian is the first agarwood grower to receive rewards due to his spirit of exploration, technical experience, and the fact that he was the first “Shannong” to cultivate agarwood seedlings and plant agarwood on a large scale. At present, not only are the agarwood seedlings cultivated by his family the most sought-after goods, but the tens of thousands of real agarwood trees that he has planted for more than ten years have also been continuously harvested. The rich returns Wen Zhenxian has achieved in cultivating and planting agarwood have made him the technical leader and industrial development leader of the first town of Guanzhu agarwood, and also a benchmark for “Shannong”. Wen Zhenxian’s wealth has ignited the enthusiasm of the majority of farmers to get rich and greatly encouraged everyone’s confidence. While Wen Zhenxian was getting rich by planting agarwood himself, he imparted his technical experience without reservation, and was often asked by “Shannong” to teach how to choose soil and climatic conditions, and experience in pest and disease control, which greatly improved the survival rate of agarwood. Driven by Wen Zhenxian, in recent years, many farmers have earned considerable income from cultivating agarwood seedlings, and a large number of villagers have escaped poverty and become rich through planting agarwood, with many families earning millions of yuan. At present, not only are farmers actively planting agarwood, but many companies, including those from other places, have also developed agarwood planting bases on a large scale. Agarwood planting has gradually become a pillar industry in Guanzhu Town.
- The developer and innovator of agarwood products. He was the first to discover agarwood, the pioneer of agarwood planting, and the first to make a fortune in agarwood cultivation and planting, but he will not be satisfied with the current harvest. After successfully introducing agarwood and artificially forming agarwood, and making four major breakthroughs, he now wants to make the fifth major breakthrough: how to fully explore the value of agarwood, the “golden nugget”. Although the price of agarwood is high, agarwood is a primary agricultural and forestry product after all. To get the maximum value from agarwood, we must work hard on the development and deep processing and refining of agarwood, so that agarwood can be industrialized and commercialized. In recent years, he has been committed to the research and development and innovation of agarwood products. At present, a series of products have been formed, including agarwood bracelets and necklaces, agarwood incense sticks, agarwood essential oil, agarwood tea, agarwood health pillows, etc., especially agarwood essential oil, which has achieved deep processing and refining of primary agricultural and forestry products, which will make agarwood out of the form of primary agricultural and forestry products, thereby opening up a wider range of industrial uses and product lines, which will undoubtedly open up new markets and form new demands for the development of the agarwood industry. In Wen Zhenxian’s view, agarwood is full of treasures, and the key is how to take the treasures out. For example, he hired a professional tea-making master, and after years of process exploration and improvement, he made the agarwood tea fried with agarwood leaves a huge success. At present, the agarwood tea he produced is not only recognized by the industry, but also often invited to participate in various trade fairs, received market praise, and became a benchmark for local “shannons” to learn and emulate.
- The disseminator and promoter of incense civilization and incense culture. With its unique fragrance and rarity, agarwood is known as the “king of incense”. It has a profound historical background and cultural connotation in the cultural traditions of China and even Southeast Asia. In ancient times, literati often used agarwood to express their feelings, put incense into poetry, taste incense and discuss Taoism, forming the cultural artistic conception of “burning incense and sitting quietly” and “cultivating the mind with incense”. In traditional Chinese culture, the use of agarwood can be traced back to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and reached its peak in the Tang and Song Dynasties. At that time, the “incense way” culture was prevalent in the court and the literati class. Tasting incense, fighting incense, and burning incense became an elegant lifestyle, reflecting dignity and cultivation. In Buddhist culture, agarwood is regarded as a sacred object for offering, and burning incense to worship Buddha is to show piety; in Taoist culture, it is regarded as a “spiritual” object to help practitioners calm down and concentrate their minds and comprehend the Tao. Agarwood is not only a symbol of spirit and culture, but also a totem of spiritual culture, a profound understanding and pursuit of nature, mind and life realm. In some Islamic countries, agarwood has become a necessity for daily life and social interaction, so-called “no incense, no guests”. As the first discoverer and inheritor of agarwood, Wen Zhenxian has a deep understanding of agarwood culture. While operating agarwood as an industry, he pays more attention to and is committed to exploring the cultural connotation of agarwood and actively promoting agarwood culture. He organized villagers to learn traditional incense techniques, combined the processing of agarwood with culture, and made Guanzhu Town a well-known agarwood cultural center at home and abroad. He was also actively invited to participate in various agarwood culture and religious Buddhist activities such as the Beijing National Buddhist Culture Festival, leading everyone to inherit and develop agarwood culture, and actively participate in and promote international agarwood cultural exchanges.
4. The story is not over yet, the dream is just at the begining
Under the leadership of the Party committees and governments at all levels in Dianbai District and Guanzhu Town, and with the selfless dedication and drive of agarwood leaders like Wen Zhenxian, the agarwood industry in Guanzhu Town has risen rapidly in recent years and has become the first famous agarwood town. Many stories have been passed down during its development, and the stories are far from over and are in full swing. The development of Guanzhu agarwood has not only formed a beautiful landscape of trade, tourism and cultural exchanges, but also been widely publicized and reported by authoritative media. Guanzhu has also become a hot spot for investment. In recent years, a number of large-scale projects related to agarwood with investments ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions have been implemented in Guanzhu. The agarwood industry in Guanzhu has reached a scale of tens of trillions of yuan and is approaching a scale of tens of billions of yuan. The vigorous development and prosperity of Guanzhu and the dream of the people of Guanzhu to get rich have just begun. Agarwood is driving Guanzhu to the big market and the world with irreversible power.
However, I would like to remind everyone again that in this historic process of discovering a new technology, creating a new industry, and making tens of millions of families rich, we have no reason and should not forget a truly key and selfless person who made contributions to the discovery of agarwood – Wen Zhenxian!
