The scent I never forgot.

Hi, I'm Gao Qiaodan. Most of our customers call me Dana.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved scents, especially the scent of flowers. The one I remember most is osmanthus. Every autumn, when the osmanthus trees bloomed, I would walk along the little country roads near my home and the air would be full of it: sweet, warm and rich. I loved that feeling so much.

Even now, whenever I smell osmanthus, I am right back on those country roads as a little girl.

When I grew up, I came across incense almost by chance. It felt as if I had found my hobby and my dream at the same time. So I made incense my work.

Today I work from Dengfeng, a small city at the foot of Mount Song in central China. I choose the incense, burners and tools in our collection from makers across China, and I write simple guides so you can enjoy them at home.

Ash & Lotus is my way of sharing that feeling with the world: a small scent that can carry you somewhere, the way osmanthus still carries me home.

If you would like to try the scent of my childhood, start with our Osmanthus incense.

Thank you for being here.

— Dana