PHOTO ESSAY | Dragon joss sticks in high demand despite price hike

PHOTO ESSAY | With Chinese New Year just around the corner, dragon joss stick manufacturers are busy fulfilling orders for the artistically designed giant incense used in the celebration.

However, there has been a price increase for the dragon joss stick due to the rising cost of material which has forced Tan Ah Han to sell his product at 30 percent higher than before.

According to the Han Professional Dragon Joss Stick Specialist owner, although the price of the incense sticks has increased, the demand remains.

"All the material costs to make joss sticks have gone up, including wood, glue powder and paint. I had to raise the price but the customer demand is still the same as last year," the 62-year-old said.

The lack of manpower has also interfered with the production of dragon joss sticks at his factory in Taiping, Perak.

"It's hard to find employees because young people are not interested in time-consuming, artistic work like this,” he added.

Having been in the business for over 40 years, Han said the process of making dragon joss sticks takes a long time because it is a complicated process requiring precision and artistry.

The price of dragon joss sticks starts from RM20 and can go up to RM1,000 depending on the size, height and patterns requested.

The following is the process of making the giant incense sticks at Han's factory.

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