Academic research in the humanities and beyond is experiencing an exploding interest in the senses and sensory experiences, including the sense of smell, which was once dismissed as an evolutionary ‘vestige’ lacking intellectual significance. However, the rediscovery of smell in historical studies presents unique challenges. The ephemeral and inarticulate nature of odours pose difficulties for both their perceivers and the historians who seek to recover and make sense of this archive. What does it mean to reconstruct past smellscapes, and what insights this endeavour offers to our understanding of history?

This talk explores these questions through three case studies from medieval China (ca. eighth to eleventh centuries), arguing that smells were far from marginal in the lives of medieval Chinese people. Instead, they played a central role in constructing identities, shaping sensibilities, and structuring human-divine relationships. The discussion draws on examples such as the ‘mutton-reeking barbarians’, the ‘foul-smelling ghosts’ and the unusual fragrance associated with the deaths of Buddhist and Daoist saints. Considered transformative and penetrating, smells symbolised and catalysed complex emotions of fear and reverence. This talk situates the discussion of these olfactory perceptions and discourses within the context of shifting sociopolitical boundaries, evolving medical knowledge and practices, as well as expanding repertoire and usage of aromatics materials. Engaging with current scholarship in sensory studies, it demonstrates how a ‘nose’ dive into medieval China reveals not only what medieval smells were and what they meant, but also how olfactory perceptions illuminate medieval understandings of the human body and the surrounding world.

Flavia Xi Fang (方希) is a Past & Present Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research and a Research Associate at SOAS. She studied in China and Italy before completing her PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2023. Her research focuses on the social and cultural history of medieval China and the Silk Roads, with a particular interest in sensory experiences and the history of the body.