Osmanthus industry

Farmers collect osmanthus flowers. [Photo by Yang Zongsheng/China News Service]

Sweet-scented osmanthus trees planted all around Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have gradually started blooming with the approaching of the autumn, bringing charming smells to the city.

The city has a total of around 12 million sweet-scented osmanthus trees covering more than 80 varieties, according to incomplete statistics from the Guilin forestry and garden bureau. Around 200,000 trees are planted in downtown Guilin, making the area a large sweet-scented osmanthus park. 

Being a sweet-scented osmanthus plantation area with long history, Lingui district has now formulated an industrial chain featuring plantations, collection, drying, and deep processing.

Zhao Ximeng, the person in charge of the Guilin distinctive forestry demonstration zone, said that the zone has a total area of 3,500 mu (233 hectares) and plants more than 100,000 sweet-scented osmanthus trees. The zone has focused on plantations, marketing, and leisure tourism, with the annual sales volume of sweet-scented osmanthus trees countrywide reaching 20 million yuan ($2.74 million).

Osmanthus Commune, located alongside the Taohua River in Guilin's Xiufeng district, has received more than 170,000 tourists since its opening in April 2021. It has also launched a series of cultural creative products featuring the flower. 

Chen Yanhong, general manager of Osmanthus Commune, said that the commune is striving to turn osmanthus-featured products into a city gift just like Yunnan flower cakes and Taiwan pineapple cakes.

Guilin is one of the five major osmanthus production areas in China and is the country's largest traditional dried osmanthus products distribution center. At present, the city collects 10,000 metric tons of osmanthus every year, with an annual yield of 3 billion yuan.