博山炉又叫博山香炉、博山香薰、博山薰炉等名，是中国汉、晋时期民间常见的焚香所用的器具。常见的为青铜器和陶瓷器。炉体呈青铜器中的豆形，上有盖，盖高而尖，镂空，呈山形，山形重叠，其间雕有飞禽走兽，象征传说中的海上仙山——博山而得名（汉代盛传海上有蓬莱、博山、瀛洲三座仙山）。

Boshan stove is also known as Boshan incense burner, Boshan incense burner, Boshan incense burner, etc. it is a common instrument for burning incense in the Han and Jin Dynasties in China. Common are bronzes and ceramics. The furnace body is in the shape of beans in bronze ware, with a cover on it. The cover is high and sharp. It is hollow out and in the shape of mountains. The mountains are overlapped. There are birds and animals carved in the furnace, symbolizing the legendary sea fairyland - Boshan (in Han Dynasty, there are three fairylands in the sea, Penglai, Boshan and Yingzhou). 

 

实际上确有此地，其地在蓬莱以西的山东鲁中，淄博市博山区境内，博山区全境尽山，几无平坦之地，“博山”即在该区东南。自古博山一带（古称颜神镇）是我国古代陶瓷、窑业的重要产地。

 In fact, it is located in Luzhong, Shandong Province to the west of Penglai, in Boshan District, Zibo City, and the whole area of Boshan District is covered with mountains,

"Boshan" is in the southeast of the area. Since ancient times, Boshan area (called Yanshen town in ancient times) is an important production area of ancient ceramics and kilns in China.

博山炉之名即寓炉盖似群山之外观，又合产地之名。博山炉下有底座。有的遍体饰云气花纹，有的鎏金或金银错。当炉腹内燃烧香料时，烟气从镂空的山形中散出，有如仙气缭绕，给人以置身仙境的感觉。是西汉时期常用熏香器具，可用来熏衣、熏被以除臭、避秽。博山炉初为铜质素面，后随工艺技术的发展，外表施以鎏金，或错金、银。

 The name of Boshan furnace is the appearance of furnace cover like mountains, and also the name of origin. There is a base under Boshan furnace. Some of them are decorated with cloud patterns, some of them are gilded with gold or silver. When spices are burned in the furnace, the smoke is released from the hollowed out mountain, which is like a fairyland. It is a kind of incense instrument commonly used in the Western Han Dynasty, which can be used to fumigate clothes and quilt to deodorize and avoid pollution. Boshan furnace was made of copper surface at the beginning, and then with the development of technology, it was gilded, or gold or silver.

 

 

据《西京杂记》记载：长安巧工丁缓善做博山炉，能够重叠雕刻奇禽怪兽以做香炉的表面装饰，博山炉工艺之繁，远远超过后来出现的五足或三足香炉。北宋考古学者吕大临《考古图》记载：“香炉像海中博山，下盘贮汤使润气蒸香，以像海之四环。”

 According to the records of Xijing miscellany, Ding Wanshan, a skilled craftsman in Chang'an, was able to carve strange birds and monsters to decorate the surface of the censer. The craftsmanship of Boshan censer is far more complicated than that of the five foot or three foot censer. According to the archaeological map by LV Dalin, an archaeologist in the Northern Song Dynasty, "the censer is like the Boshan mountain in the sea, and the bottom plate stores soup to moisten the air and evaporate the fragrance, so it looks like the four rings of the sea."

博山炉流行于汉代，后世亦曾使用并仿制。有名的博山炉有出土于陕西省兴平县的西汉鎏金银竹节高柄铜薰炉和出土于河北省满城县的错金博山炉。博山炉出现在西汉时期，与燃香原料和人们的生活方式有关。西汉之前，人们使用茅香，即将薰香草或蕙草放置在豆式香炉中直接点燃，虽然香气馥郁，但烟火气很大。

 Boshan stove was popular in Han Dynasty, and it was used and imitated in later generations. The famous Boshan furnaces are the gilded gold and silver bamboo high handle copper fumigant furnaces unearthed in Xingping County, Shaanxi Province, and the staggered gold Boshan furnaces unearthed in Mancheng County, Hebei Province. Boshan stove appeared in the Western Han Dynasty, which was related to incense burning materials and people's life style. Before the Western Han Dynasty, people used Maoxiang, that is to say, lavender or huicao was placed in the bean type censer and ignited directly. Although the fragrance was rich, the smoke was very strong.

 

武帝时，南海地区的龙脑香、苏合香传入中土，并将香料制成香球或香饼，下置炭火，用炭火的高温将这些树脂类的香料徐徐燃起，香味浓厚，烟火气又不大，因此出现了形态各异、巧夺天工的博山炉。六朝《咏博山炉》诗曰：“上镂秦王子，驾鹤乘紫烟”，唐李白《杨叛儿》诗云：“博山炉中沉香火，双烟一气凌紫霞”，记述的都是博山炉熏香时香烟缭绕的迷人意境。

 At the time of Emperor Wu, longnaoxiang and Suhe Xiang from the South China Sea were introduced into the Middle Earth, and the spices were made into incense balls or pancakes, under which a charcoal fire was placed. The high temperature of the charcoal fire slowly ignited these resin spices, with strong fragrance and small smoke and fire gas. Therefore, Boshan furnaces with different shapes and wonderful craftsmanship appeared. The poem "yongboshan stove" in the Six Dynasties said: "Prince Qin is carved out on the top, and the crane is riding on the purple smoke". The poem "Yang rebel" in Li Bai of Tang Dynasty said: "the incense in Boshan stove is burning, and the two smoke and one gas are shining in the purple haze". It describes the charming mood of cigarettes when Boshan stove is fumigating.

 

两汉时期，博山炉已盛行于宫廷和贵族的生活之中。1968年在河北汉代中山靖王刘胜墓中出土的错金博山炉就是见证，其造型和工艺已达到高峰。除了博山香炉之外，魏晋南北朝时期还出现了青瓷或白瓷的敞口五足和三足瓷器香炉。

 During the Han Dynasty, Boshan stove had been popular in the life of the court and aristocrats. The gold inlaid Boshan stove unearthed in the tomb of Liu Sheng, the Jingwang of Zhongshan in the Han Dynasty of Hebei Province in 1968 is a witness to the fact that its shape and technology have reached a peak. In addition to Boshan censers, there were open five foot and three foot censers of celadon or white porcelain in the Wei, Jin, southern and Northern Dynasties.