本文說明漢人的祭祀行爲無論是向神明、祖先或是鬼怪，都可以用「香」，也 都少不了香。舉香祭拜幾乎成爲漢人宗敎信仰的特色。香於漢唐之際從西域和南 洋傳入中國，逐漸在原有的佛敎用香文化之上，發展出中國文化獨特的「香火」觀 念與象徵。期間，中國合香的製作也深受中藥複方藥劑的調配觀念影響而獨具特 色。長久以來，香已經深入漢人民間信仰的各個層面，不但開發出有關於香的豐 富民俗信仰詞彙，香灰與香爐也成爲神聖的結晶與器物而受到信徒的珍惜與膜拜。

Incense sticks are used by Chinese people to worship gods, ghosts and ancestors, and this has become a unique trait of Chinese religious behavior. Incense may be made from a variety of materials. Among them, sandal wood, agalwood, aloe wood，and many others were introduced to China from India through Central Asia by land and from South East Asia by sea around 200 A.D. Chinese people gradually developed their own favorite scents and ingredients over the centuries. In addition to special aromatics, Chinese people also have created a cultural system for the burning of incense. Incense is burned in order to communicate with supernatural beings and is offered to them as a symbolic form of food. It is also through fire that incense is imbued with magical power. Subsequently, incense ashes are redistributed as a kind of symbolic capital，and censers are worshipped as a representation of supernatural power.