Wang Yu is a sixth-generation inheritor of the Jinan Ximian snuff processing technique. [Photo/dzwww.com]

For over 30 years, Wang Yu, the sixth-generation inheritor of Jinan Ximian snuff processing technique, has dedicated himself to the craft.

In November 2021, the Jinan Ximian snuff processing technique, a traditional Chinese medicine preparation method, was listed as an intangible cultural heritage item (ICH) by Shandong province.

The introduction of snuff to China has been the subject of numerous stories. The most well-known was that the snuff was brought in by an Italian named Matteo Ricci as a gift to Emperor Wanli in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

"Snuff" means "smell medicine" and people use it by inhaling the medicine and aroma into the nose and lungs, which is then disseminated throughout the body via the heart, in order to alter the functions of the human body to prevent and treat diseases and stay healthy.

Each type of snuff contains more than 30 ingredients, according to Wang. Snuff is made using a method that combines fermentation, aging, and smoking. Snuff is made during a three-year process that includes eliminating impurities from over 30 substances, some of which must be roasted and fried to bring out the medicinal properties, grounding and blending the ingredients, fermenting, smoking twice, and aging in a vat for at least three years.

In 2005, Wang founded the Jinan Snuff Research Center and the "Ximian" brand. He possesses more than 50 patents for national intellectual property rights to date. He believes that additional work and improvements should be invested into the ICH item in order to advertise it more widely and for a longer period of time.