Heaven scent

Chinese people have used xiang nang, or scented sachets, for about 3,000 years. The sachet is a cloth bag containing powders made from herbs and traditional Chinese medicines. These include argy wormwood leaf, flower petals, and powdered realgar.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese calendar, people carried around the sachets to drive away mosquitoes.

The cloth bags, generally handmade by women, have over time become works of art. Patterns such as flowers, birds, butterflies, dragons and phoenixes are popular.