The smell of success

His efforts paid off when he managed to present a dozen ancient incenses, including ambergris and those featuring the scents of rose and lily.

Yang also makes sure his products move with the times, rolling out thousands of incense products with a modern appeal.

He has innovated the traditional craft and concocted smokeless incense and developed a legendary product that, after burning, displays auspicious patterns and characters. They have won him multiple national patents.

"They are key to ensuring Qingyuan incense takes the lead in the craft and product quality in the industry," Yang says.

To date, Yang has fostered long-term cooperation with foreign trade companies in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, and his products have made their way to overseas markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Europe, the United States and South Korea, where more than 40 million incense packages from his company have been sold.

"I hope where there are Chinese people, there is an incense culture," Yang says.

As his business grew, Yang has provided job opportunities for local residents.

To hammer home to employees the importance of product quality, Yang has destroyed many boxes of incense that failed to meet his high standards and expectations.

"We should hold ourselves to a higher bar and be thorough, … so the goods can turn out to be of the highest quality," he says.

Yang's religious adherence to integrity has also won him a good business reputation. Once, a Japanese client placed a big order from his company after acquiring the incense during a prior visit to Chongqing. The client was willing to pay the same price as they had in Chongqing, which was much higher than that quoted by Yang's company. Yang insisted on giving the client the correct, lower price. It won him a letter of thanks and appreciation for his honesty from the client.