As autumn arrives, the Tangjiashan Camellia Oil Cultural Park in Qiyang, Hunan province, is buzzing with energy from a rich camellia harvest.

Qiyang has earned its reputation as the “Hometown of Camellia Oil” and serves as a national showcase for the camellia oil industry. In recent years, local initiatives have turned their focus to a forest management system that blends environmental stewardship with industrial growth. This approach has resulted in significant advancements in the establishment of production bases, processing facilities, and integrated industries, marking a period of robust development for the camellia oil sector.

“A leadership team for camellia oil industrialization has been formed here in Qiyang, complemented by a dedicated management office for oil production,” noted a local official. “We now include the production of camellia oil in our forest management performance assessments. Each forest manager oversees 45 demonstration sites, and we’ve laid out a comprehensive development plan for the industry that spans from 2023 to 2030, providing subsidies for new planting, renovations, and improvements in species.”

The local government is also partnering with research institutions, such as the Hunan Academy of Forestry Sciences and Central South University of Forestry and Technology. They frequently invite experts in camellia oil to lead field classes and training sessions, introducing innovative technologies like drones and smart irrigation to enhance production.

Zeng Xiangwu, a successful camellia oil grower from Masi Ping Village in Lijiapin Township, shared his insights: “This year, each acre yields between 2,500 to 3,000 pounds of fresh fruit, which translates to about $4,000 per acre. I recently signed a purchase contract with an oil factory.”

Camellia oil stands out as not just an ecological industry but a thriving and healthy one as well. This year, Qiyang is actively nurturing leading enterprises by assigning city-level forest managers to each company and creating specialized service teams. These efforts help businesses adopt modern production technologies and explore new operational models.

To steer the industry in a market-driven direction, Qiyang has set up a development fund for camellia oil and established credit guarantees for small and medium-sized enterprises. The city is also exploring specialized insurance schemes for natural disasters and income support within the camellia sector. Moreover, they have streamlined legal processes for land transfer and conflict resolution to support various processing businesses, with over $10 million in loans issued to camellia oil enterprises.

Currently, Qiyang boasts impressive production capabilities, with an annual output of 30,000 tons of raw oil materials, 40,000 tons of refined oil, and 80,000 tons of packaged oil. To fortify the entire industry chain, they’ve launched an online trading platform for camellia oil and developed sales networks across multiple provinces, fostering a vibrant production and sales ecosystem.

Looking ahead to 2024, projections indicate that Qiyang could produce over 300,000 tons of fresh camellia fruit and more than 18,000 tons of oil, with a total output value exceeding $5.3 billion. This would provide an estimated additional income of over $600 per household in the region.

The evolution of the camellia oil industry is playing a vital role in rural revitalization. Within the Tangjiashan Camellia Oil Cultural Park, visitors can wander through a network of walking paths amidst mountains adorned with fragrant camellia fruit. The park features a cultural exhibition hall, a water amusement park, lakeside lodging, and tourism projects that blend dining, accommodation, recreation, and education. “We are innovating to intertwine camellia oil with tourism, developing a trading center for camellia products, an expo hall, and educational facilities. During peak holidays, we can attract up to 10,000 visitors,” said a park manager.

Looking forward, Qiyang aims to further support the planting of new camellia trees and enhance existing ones, all with the goal of optimizing the overall industrial framework and achieving substantial growth by 2035. They aspire to cultivate 1 million acres of camellia forests—half of which will consist of high-yield varieties—and aim for a valuation of over $14 billion in camellia oil production, creating a replicable model for enhanced income for residents, ecological sustainability, and distinctive rural development.