Osmanthus flowers grow into a prosperous industry in Guangxi's Guilin

With over 2,500 years of history planting osmanthus trees, Guilin city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has turned the small osmanthus flowers into a prosperous industry.

A woman sieves osmanthus flowers in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (vip.people.com.cn/Li Kai)

Guilin is one of the five production areas of osmanthus flowers in China and the country's largest logistics center for dried osmanthus flower products. The production and transaction volume of products using osmanthus flowers as raw materials, including osmanthus cakes, tea, wine, honey and essential oil, account for half of the country's total.

According to the bureau of forestry and gardening of Guilin, the city is home to 210,000 mu (14,000 hectares) of osmanthus trees, with an annual output of 10,000 tonnes of fresh osmanthus flowers. The annual output value of the city's osmanthus flower industry reaches 3 billion yuan (about $413.6 million).

A woman harvests osmanthus flowers in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (vip.people.com.cn/Li Kai)

In the city's Lingui district, an osmanthus flower industrial chain has emerged to engage in osmanthus tree planting, osmanthus flower harvesting, and the deep processing of asmanthus flowers.

At an osmanthus tree demonstration zone in Wutong township, Lingui district, over 100,000 osmanthus trees have been planted, according to Zhao Ximeng, an executive of the demonstration zone.

With its core area covering 3,500 mu, the demonstration zone has engaged in the planting and sales of osmanthus trees, and osmanthus-themed tourism. For example, the annual sales volume of osmanthus tree saplings at the demonstration zone reaches 20 million yuan.

A woman dries osmanthus flowers in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (vip.people.com.cn/Li Kai)

A scenic area with an osmanthus flower theme in Xiufeng district, Guilin, has received over 170,000 tourists since its opening in April 2021. The scenic area has also rolled out cultural and creative products related to osmanthus flowers. 

Local residents dry osmanthus flowers in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (vip.people.com.cn/Li Kai)

Photo shows osmanthus trees in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (vip.people.com.cn/Li Kai)