Scent of a city in Guangxi captivates the world

"What a beautiful jasmine flower! Fragrant and enchanting you are, blooming on the stems,

Incredibly sweet and purely white, you are admired by all,

Let me pluck you and gift you to someone else."

This folk song, one of the best-known Chinese melodies in the world, is believed to have originated in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and was featured in Turandot, an opera with Asian influences that the great Italian composer Giacomo Puccini left unfinished at the time of his death. As the opera was staged around the world, jasmine became an iconic cultural symbol of China, embodying romantic sensibilities.

Today, the starry white blossom inspires not only poetry, music and love, but also a wide range of products, including flavored drinks and snacks, incense sticks and sachets, and personal care products that soothe the body and mind.

A major source of this rich scent is Hengzhou in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Hailed as the global jasmine capital, the city boasts a history of cultivating jasmine vines for more than 500 years. However, large-scale production and processing began in the 1980s. Over the past four decades, Hengzhou has worked to become one of the world's largest jasmine production bases and a prominent exporter of the exotic fragrance.

According to Guangxi's Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the city produces over 80 percent of China's jasmine flowers and jasmine tea, as well as more than 60 percent of the world's total jasmine flower output.

Irish travel blogger Luke O'Farrell and his British partner, Alexander Short, were among the foreigners who recently visited the lesser-known city, which is blessed with fertile soil and a climate conducive to growing jasmine. They learned from local farmers how to pick the flowers and witnessed how those were processed on factory lines.

"It was so cool. The workers really put a lot of effort into the whole process. It's also a beautiful location; the environment is so fresh and smells amazing," said O'Farrell.

Diversified products, including jasmine-flavored beverages, had them wanting more. "These taste really delicious, especially the milk tea," he said, adding that despite being coffee lovers, they have been drinking tea and other jasmine-flavored beverages.

Among Chinese entrepreneurs who are elevating Hengzhou's profile to a new level is Wu Yuming. After completing his studies in the United Kingdom in 2023, Wu, who hails from Taiwan, moved to Hengzhou to run a tourism-related farm and factory called Aroma Garden.

The mission, as he puts it, is "to build a high-end industry chain for jasmine products, integrating the fragrance of jasmine into people's daily lives — into what they eat, drink and use".

Wu works together with farmers to learn how jasmine grows and to better understand market requirements, and he helps them upgrade their planting techniques in order to extend the flowering season, standardize varieties and increase the yield. The improved quality of the flowers boosts Wu's business in return, as his team develops a range of high-quality products, including personal care items and daily necessities.

Wu's Aroma Garden has mapped out a "jasmine fragrance trail" to attract tourists. During the flowering season in spring and summer, visitors can walk through a vast sea of blooming jasmine, take photos, pick flowers, and seek a hands-on experience in extracting essential oil and creating their own signature scent.

Data from the local government shows that Hengzhou's jasmine plantation area of around 12,000 hectares produced over 150,000 metric tons of fresh flowers in 2025, with the output value surpassing 19 billion yuan ($2.81 billion).

Most flagship domestic and international beverage brands source their raw materials from Hengzhou. A complete industrial chain centered on jasmine has been established, incorporating potted plants, dining, health and wellness services, and tourism.

Meanwhile, leveraging the China-ASEAN Expo, Hengzhou's jasmine has entered the broader market of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and is exported to more than 70 countries and regions.

"Jasmine embodies the quintessence of Eastern elegance," said Wu, the entrepreneur. "Hengzhou offers one of the finest jasmine resources. We aim to extract and preserve this natural fragrance and create a scent that belongs to China."