Guangxi’s Hengzhou strives to build a jasmine flower industrial cluster (3)

A worker on the production line inspects the quality of freshly made jasmine tea. (Photo/Wu Mingjiang)

Hengzhou city in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is the world’s biggest jasmine flower industrial base and jasmine tea processing center. In recent years, while assisting the industry to become bigger and stronger, Hengzhou has taken vigorous steps to extend the industrial and value chains of the jasmine industry, building an industrial cluster that incorporates the flower tea, potted plant, food, tourism, catering, sports and wellness industries.

In 2014, “Zhang Yiyuan”, Beijing’s century-honored tea brand established a branch in Hengzhou to make good use of the jasmine flower resources there. At present, the Hengzhou-based “Zhang Yiyuan” branch has developed into a larger-scale company with an annual turnover surpassing 700 million yuan and with its sales volume accounting for 70 percent of the total sales for “Zhang Yiyuan” as a whole.

In addition to “Zhang Yiyuan,” other famous tea brands from Zhejiang, Taiwan, and Guangdong have also opened up business operations in Hengzhou. Some local tea companies have made it into the top 10 list of best jasmine flower tea brands in the country.

Hengzhou has been striving to upgrade the jasmine industry which was previously characterized by a weak industrial structure and a low level of added value for its products by establishing an industrial chain and gradually reinforcing it, pushing the annual output value of the industry to reach 12.5 billion yuan. In October 2020, jasmine from Hengzhou was made the theme of high-speed trains, and one month later, a satellite was named after Hengzhou jasmine, further enhancing the reputation of Hengzhou’s jasmine industry.

The city is currently making preparations for the third World Jasmine Conference to be held under the framework of the 18th China-ASEAN Expo, striving to build itself into a global center for the jasmine industry and seeking a means to further urban transformation and further upgrade the city from three aspects, including in its industries, culture and urban construction.