Maoming, in Guangdong province in southern China, is one of the oldest and largest sources of Aquilaria sinensis agarwood. Its warm, humid climate and long history of cultivation make it a heartland of Chinese oud. It is also where our wood comes from.
Where Maoming is, and why agarwood grows there
Maoming sits on the southern coast of Guangdong, in the subtropical belt where Aquilaria sinensis grows well. The trees need heat, humidity, and time. The region has all three, plus generations of growers who know how to tend the trees and read the wood. Agarwood has been worked here for centuries, which is part of why Maoming wood has a steady, recognizable character.
How agarwood actually forms
Agarwood is not ordinary timber. A healthy Aquilaria tree has pale, light wood with no real scent. The fragrance only appears when the tree is wounded, by storms, insects, or cutting. To seal the injury, the tree floods the area with a dark, fragrant resin. Over years, that resin builds up inside the wood. The resin-saturated heartwood is agarwood. The more resin, the denser and more valuable the piece, which is why the best grades sink in water.
What Maoming oud smells like
Maoming Aquilaria sinensis tends to be clean, sweet, and slightly milky, with a smooth woody base. It has less of the sharp, animalic "barnyard" edge found in some Indian agarwood. That smoothness is why it suits people coming to oud for the first time, and why it layers well under perfume rather than fighting it.
Wild, cultivated, and sustainable supply
Wild agarwood is rare and slow to form, so most modern supply is cultivated on managed plantations where trees are grown, wounded, and harvested responsibly. Aquilaria sinensis is protected under CITES Appendix II, which means legitimate trade in the higher grades travels with permits. Buying cultivated, documented wood from a known region is how the species keeps producing without stripping the wild population.
From the forest to your home
We work from this single source rather than buying mixed wood through middlemen. The same Maoming material becomes sinking-grade nuggets, heating chips, and distilled oud oil. Keeping it to one origin is also the simplest defense against the adulteration that gives cheap oud a bad name.
FAQ
Where does Chinese agarwood come from?
Mostly from southern China, including Maoming in Guangdong, where the climate suits Aquilaria sinensis.
Is Maoming agarwood wild or cultivated?
Most is cultivated on managed plantations. Wild agarwood is rare and protected.
Why does Maoming oud smell smoother than Indian oud?
It is a different species. Aquilaria sinensis runs cleaner and sweeter, with less of the animalic note common to Indian Aquilaria malaccensis.
Is it legal to buy Chinese agarwood?
Yes, when it is traded with the proper CITES documentation for the grades that require it.
Want the raw material from this source? See our sinking-grade nuggets and Maoming chips.