“From one moment to the next, living is a constant succession of millions of impressions of all the senses.” This German natural furniture advertisement reminds us of a simple fact that we tend to take for granted and ignore. This conference begins with this deep-seated obliviousness as its starting point and seeks to unveil, decode, and critically interrogate deeply rooted meanings that the senses have ingrained in the culture and society of modern China. In accordance with anthropologist David Howes’ argument that social revolutions are always sensory revolutions, we contend that the series of political, social, and technological revolutions that shaped the contours of modern China also brought about a sensory revolution that, unfortunately, has yet to be adequately understood. This conference brings together fourteen internationally recognised scholars from Asia, Europe and America, with the aim to critically re-examine this issue.