This is a handmade Chinese lacquer bamboo incense burner, finished in richly textured gold rhino skin lacquer (Xipi, 犀皮漆) over a solid wood core, with a pierced metal mesh lid, from the Chong Series by HFDlacquerware (禾丰鼎). Made for coil incense, it lets smoke rise freely while keeping ash inside, and stands as a decorative piece when not in use. In the Chong Series (high relief), the groundwork is built up high before the lacquer goes on, so the pattern rises and falls like terraced fields. Each Chong Series piece takes two to three years to make. The pattern is formed entirely by hand, so no two burners are alike. It makes a considered gift for a tea room, study, or meditation space. Bamboo bends in the wind and does not break, and it is hollow at the heart. Here the smoke rises through that hollow, and the gold holds the light around it. Also in bamboo form: see the Yi Series Bamboo Incense Burners.