In celebration of the upcoming Chinese Year of the Snake, international students from Vietnam, Ghana and Pakistan gathered in an incense making studio of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province to partake in the creation of snake-patterned incense pendants.

Immersed in the delicate fragrance of agarwood, the students followed the incense making artisan Li Xia to learn the traditional Chinese incense making technique. They mixed various spice powders with water to make incense paste, and then filled the paste into molds, bringing forth exquisite rectangular and gourd-shaped incense pendants adorned with lively and lifelike snakes.

The international students held the completed snake-patterned incense pendants in their hands, and took photos with each other. “During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake, I will definitely bring this incense pendant I made with me when traveling. This auspicious ornament has very unique Chinese characteristics,” said Arhin William, a Ghanaian international student.