Borneol Paints a New Picture of Rural Revitalization in Xinhuang, Hunan

In early winter, the borneol industry in Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County, Hunan Province, has shown strong momentum, climbing steadily from 20 million CNY in sales last year to 50 million CNY this year. This impressive figure marks the borneol industry's entry into the "fast lane" of large-scale and market-oriented development. This "treasure" hidden in Dong townships has unleashed immense economic energy and market potential, driving high-quality development of the county's economy.

Xinhuang County, on the border between Hunan and Guizhou, is a fertile land known as the "Western Gate of Hunan," where lies a rare resource that has rewritten China's industrial history—borneol camphor tree. In 1988, a wild mother tree of borneol camphor was discovered in Butoujiang Miao Township, Xinhuang. Scientists confirmed through testing that it is rich in high-quality L-Borneol, marking the first time that natural borneol had been found in China's plant resources. This discovery completely changed the historical fact that China did not produce borneol, endowing this land with a unique industrial endowment.

The protection area for the wild borneol camphor mother tree in Butoujiang Miao Township, Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County. (Photo provided by Xinhuang Convergence Media)

Resource Transformation: From "Endangered Medicinal Material" to "Geographical Indication"

Borneol had historically relied on imports, mainly from Sumatra, Indonesia. To protect this rare resource, Xinhuang authority took the lead in starting the protection and cultivation of borneol camphor resources. By establishing a protection area for the original mother tree and making breakthrough in key artificial breeding techniques, it successfully solved problems related to seedling cultivation and afforestation, producing high-quality seedlings with strong adaptability and high borneol content, and then promoted planting across the entire county.

Subsequently, through cutting propagation and scientific expansion, Xinhuang has established China's largest raw material forest base of borneol camphor, covering 28,000 mu (approximately 1,867 hectares) and forming a solid raw material supply system. Today, lush borneol camphor trees spread across the mountains, not only building a green barrier for ecological protection. Moreover, a "company + base + farmer" model has been carried out, increasing the income and wealth of forest farmers.

Brand plays a pivot role in industrial development. Xinhuang County has attached great importance to building the borneol brand and fully promoted the standardized and regulated development of the borneol industry. Following the development approach of "prioritize protection, pursue scientific development, promote growth through industry, and prosper both the people and the county," it has incorporated the borneol industry into the overall plan for county economic development, making persistent and sustained efforts.

In 2005, borneol was officially included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, gaining authoritative recognition from the national pharmaceutical industry. In 2013, "Xinhuang Borneol" was registered as a National Geographical Indication Product, becoming a symbol of quality. That same year, borneol camphor tree was listed among the 100 nationally protected endangered medicinal materials, further highlighting the scarcity and preciousness of Xinhuang borneol and laying a solid foundation for the industry's rise.

Borneol camphor raw material forest base at Mushanping, Bozhou Town, Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County. (Photo provided by Xinhuang Convergence Media)

Government as Key Driver: Focused Shift from Resource Advantages to Industrial Development
 
How to nurture a "gold seed" in hand into a "towering tree"? After more than 30 years of persistent efforts, Xinhuang County has consistently regarded the borneol industry as the "golden track" for county economic development, demonstrating strong industrial determination and execution. It has made the borneol industry an economic pillar and a "calling card" of rural revitalization, as well as a "green engine" driving the high-quality development of the county economy.

One borneol camphor mother tree activated an entire industry. With a long-term strategic vision, scientific planning, and sustained investment, Xinhuang County has adopted a development model featuring "driven by the government, led by dedicated teams, built by enterprises, and enjoyed by farmers." It has pushed this rare resource from deep mountains to the market, evolving from single raw material supply to a full industrial chain layout, unlocking the "golden key" to the treasured resource hidden in the mountains.

Xinhuang County implements an "industry chief" mechanism to promote industrial development, and has set up a special team for borneol industry development, making all-round efforts in policy support, capital investment, technological R&D, and market expansion. The special team is responsible for formulating industrial plans, issuing support policies, liaising with research institutions, and promoting the establishment of standards. It has also formed investment attraction teams to carry out targeted investment in areas such as deep processing, product R&D, and marketing of borneol.
 
This "all-round care" service and "problem-solving" approach have effectively resolved various difficulties encountered by enterprises, created an excellent business environment, attracted a number of strong enterprises, and greatly stimulated market vitality.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the CPC Xinhuang County Committee and County Government clarified the positioning and target requirements of the borneol industry. Relying on the brand of the original habitat of borneol camphor in Huangyang Village, they have built a whole-chain "six-industry" integrated development pattern combining "conservation of original seeds and native habitats, specialized cooperatives, product line and category development, extraction, purification and deep processing, industry platforms, and wellness destinations."

Xinhuang County has established long-term cooperation with research institutions and universities, jointly building a borneol R&D center to tackle key technical problems in extraction processes and product development, promoting the industry toward high-end and refined development, safeguarding the growth of the borneol industry, and pushing the upgrade from "a single leaf" to "multiple products."

Xinhuang L-borneol camphor production and sales data product listed in Shenzhen. (Photo provided by Xinhuang Convergence Media)

Deep Integration of the Whole Industry Chain: Value Leap from "Purification" to "Branding"

Under strong policy impetus, the Xinhuang borneol industry has gradually transformed from simple raw material extraction to deep processing, and a whole industry chain pattern has begun to take shape. Xiao Jun, chairman of Xinhuang Peilin Longnao Daily Cosmetics Co., Ltd., has been deeply engaged in the health industry for more than a decade. He led the enterprise to gradually shift from basic raw material extraction to deep processing, building a complete industrial chain of "planting – extraction – R&D – production – sales," becoming a major force in industrial development.

In the modern production workshops in the Xinhuang Industrial Development Zone, the branches and leaves of borneol camphor go through distillation, purification and other processes to be transformed into high-purity natural borneol. In the R&D center, researchers continuously explore the application fields of borneol, developing a range of products such as medicinal borneol, borneol essential oil, skin care masks, and antibacterial hand sanitizers, bringing the thousand-year-old borneol into modern life.

Xiao Jun said that through the "company + base + farmer" model, the company has driven farmers to participate in planting and processing. In its first phase, it has built 100,000-level sterile, fully automated production lines for liquids, creams, and eye patches, providing employment for more than 30 people and increasing the income of over a thousand farming households. At present, the company has developed 36 products in five major series—borneol wellness, borneol skin care, borneol eye care, borneol hair and body care, and borneol aromatherapy. Its long-term plan includes more than 80 products, with annual sales exceeding 30 million CNY.

Relying on leading enterprises and industry-university-research cooperation, Xinhuang County has continuously tackled key issues in the breeding of improved varieties and standardized planting of borneol camphor, especially in the efficient extraction and purification of natural borneol, mastering the core technologies for industrial development and extending the industry chain further downstream. At the same time, it promotes the penetration of the borneol industry into fields such as medicine, daily chemicals, and cultural creativity, expanding the value space of the borneol industry. The industrial pattern has leaped from single raw material supply to high-value-added product manufacturing and brand sales.

In September 2025, the Xinhuang borneol camphor production and sales data product was listed in Shenzhen, opening a new chapter of capital empowerment. The listed data product can monitor environmental conditions in real time, optimizes production processes, and analyzes market transaction data, providing support for production decisions, supply chain optimization, and market expansion. It offers a broader platform and channel for the product to enter the high-end market of South China, radiate across the country, and connect with international markets.

From a single rare mother tree to a vast green forest, from a non-existent industry to a ten-billion-CNY blueprint, the development journey of Xinhuang's borneol industry is a vivid example of the county developing distinctive industries according to local conditions. Today, Xinhuang is taking the borneol industry as a link, using technology empowerment, whole-chain integration, and production-sales data products to push the industry toward higher quality and higher level, injecting stronger momentum into rural revitalization.

Chinese source: Chinanews