Agartana was honoured to be invited to the 2026 Guangzhou Incense Industry Expo and Guangzhou Incense Association Annual Conference, where the team also participated in the International Agarwood Forum alongside practitioners and industry representatives from the agarwood community.

During the forum, Jessica Tan, Founder and CEO of Agartana, shared her perspective on “The Contemporary Inheritance of Agarwood Culture.”

In her sharing, Tan highlighted that for agarwood culture to continue across generations, it must remain relevant to the way people experience and understand it today.

Rather than being appreciated only as a rare or valuable collectible, agarwood can also be experienced as part of everyday life — through its origins, its cultural meaning, its sensory qualities and the stories surrounding its formation.

Coming from Malaysia while continuing to deepen her understanding of agarwood in China also brings a unique perspective to this cultural journey.

For generations, Chinese communities have established roots across Southeast Asia, carrying with them traditions, values and cultural practices. Today, agarwood offers another meaningful connection between these shared cultural roots, linking Southeast Asia and China through nature, heritage and knowledge.

At Agartana, this understanding begins with the tree itself.

By learning how agarwood trees grow, how agarwood is formed, and the time and patience required throughout the process, people are able to develop a deeper appreciation not only for the material itself, but also for the natural and cultural heritage behind it.

This reflects a simple philosophy that continues to guide Agartana’s approach:

Remember where our roots come from.
Keep them alive in the present.
And pass them on to the next generation.

The forum also provided a meaningful opportunity for exchange with fellow practitioners, researchers, industry leaders and friends from across the agarwood sector, contributing to a wider dialogue around the preservation, understanding and contemporary development of agarwood culture.

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