Research efforts
Known in Chinese as chenxiang, or "sinking fragrance" — a name that refers to its high density, which makes the best pieces sink in water — agarwood is one of China's most prized aromatic woods.
Unlike ordinary timber, agarwood forms only when Aquilaria trees are damaged by nature, or it is deliberately induced through cultivation. In response to injury, the trees produce a dark, aromatic resin that gradually permeates the wood, creating the distinctive fragrance prized in incense, perfumes and traditional medicine.
Because the process is slow and unpredictable in the wild, high-quality agarwood has long been exceptionally rare.
When Dai Haofu began studying agarwood after returning from Germany in 2004, he quickly encountered an industry built more on reputation than science. The market was chaotic, and authentic research samples were difficult to obtain, he said.
Dai had originally come to Hainan to study marine resources, but switched his research to agarwood due to limited funds.
"At that time, agarwood was very rare and expensive," said Dai, head of the Haikou Comprehensive Experimental Station of China Agriculture Research System for Chinese Materia Medica. "Finding enough material for research was a major problem."
Unlike marine research, which required expensive boats and equipment, agarwood research could be done in a lab with small samples, which he managed to obtain from collectors, traditional pharmacies, and by visiting growing areas.
But he soon discovered that a large proportion of agarwood products sold by pharmacies were either fake or of very poor quality. Consumers had no way to tell the difference, as there were no scientific standards or reliable methods to verify authenticity.
Wild agarwood resources were limited, and cultivation was slow. Dai believed that better varieties, technology and standards could be achieved through the use of science.
In the beginning, gaining support for the project was difficult, Dai said. A turning point came in 2007, when Hainan's science and technology authorities began supporting major research projects on agarwood.
Working with growers in Guangdong province and other regions, Dai's team began selecting superior trees from natural populations, leading to a series of improved agarwood varieties. High-yielding and of superior quality, the new varieties were easier to induce resin production. Five of them were certified and approved by the Forestry Department of Hainan.
Traditional agarwood trees can require decades to produce valuable resin. New cultivation methods shortened that process significantly, from decades to about six years for some varieties.
"In nature, some trees grow stronger than others. We identify those advantages and reproduce them," Dai said.
Meanwhile, his team collected agarwood samples from 15 countries and regions, conducted systematic research on a chemical basis, and built a database of agarwood compounds. They also developed a rapid analytical method based on these compounds, helping to solve long-standing challenges in verifying authenticity and providing a scientific basis for quality evaluation.
Long prized for the quality of its wild agarwood, Hainan now hopes cultivated trees can restore that reputation on a much larger scale. Cultivation has expanded across Hainan and several southern provinces.
Most Hainan producers still sell raw material rather than higher-value finished products — something Dai believes must change. "Hainan still does too little processing. I'm encouraging relevant parties to do more."
