What Joss-Stick Community? Issues in the Inventory and Interpretation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Macau

When joss-stick making was incorporated into Macau's inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), the industry had long disappeared from Macau's urban terrain, leaving the city with no cultural bearer. Such a role was narrowly picked up by the founders of Veng Lei Laboratory, a startup business that produces and sells incense using a non-traditional method. The young entrepreneurs not only pledged to prolong the tradition of joss-stick consumption in Macau but have been actively promoting the craft through workshops. Their idea of what joss-stick craftsmanship stands for from the perspective of creators and the city, however, varies from the official narrative. Through cross-examining the official discourse of joss-stick making, the industry's developments, and the initiatives of Veng Lei Laboratory, this study offers a critique of the power governments possess in selecting and interpreting "heritage" and highlights some of the difficulties practitioners face in assuming the role of cultural bearers.