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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
HUANG Yun, LIN Hai-tao
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2026.03.011
Senior Engineer, China; Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi, China
This study aims to explore how to creatively transform agarwood, a traditional incense rich in historical and cultural significance, into an effective cultural medium in modern general education. Moving away from a purely neuroscientific explanation of biological mechanisms, the research introduces the theory of “embodied cognition”, proposing that agarwood constitutes a typical “embodied” cultural medium. Its core hypothesis is that agarwood not only influences an individual’s physiological and psychological states through its unique olfactory properties but, more importantly, embeds abstract cultural values, historical contexts, and aesthetic concepts into the learner’s cognitive and memory processes through bodily sensory experiences, thereby constructing a deep, immersive mode of cultural acquisition. Employing qualitative research methods, this study conducted in-depth interviews and participatory observations with students enrolled in a thematic general education course titled “Agarwood and the Life of Song Dynasty Literati”, combined with textual analysis of historical documents regarding the use of agarwood. It investigates the specific effects of “olfactory narratives” centered on agarwood in stimulating students’ historical empathy, enhancing the consolidation of cultural memory, and promoting interdisciplinary knowledge connections. Based on the findings, this paper constructs a new general education model that uses the “incense ceremony” as a practical vehicle, integrating four dimensions: “artifacts, literature, experience, and reflection”. It also designs a three-tiered teaching application scheme comprising “historical scene reconstruction”, “collaborative reading of classical texts”, and “creative expression”. This research provides a theoretical framework and practical case for the modern educational transformation of traditional cultural resources, emphasizes the fundamental role of sensory experience in humanities education, and offers new ideas for deepening the immersive quality and humanistic depth of general education.
agarwood, embodiment, cultural medium, olfactory memory, general education, educational model
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