Every June and July, the 10000 acre lavender flower sea in the Ili River Valley of Xinjiang blooms as scheduled. This largest lavender base in China is transforming a strand of Silk Road fragrance into a wealth industry through the "cultural tourism experience+deep processing+cross-border export" model, making Chinese made essential oils and sachets popular in Central Asia and becoming a warm bond connecting China and Central Asia.

The magnificent transformation of industrial upgrading

In Huocheng, Yili, grower Mamuti has been dealing with lavender for fifteen years. Recalling the first days, he was filled with emotions: "In the past, our lavender could only be sold to mainland buyers at low prices and thin profits, and the fragrance of a bountiful harvest could not be exchanged for real income." At that time, although Central Asian merchants had the willingness to purchase, they were struggling due to the lack of stable channels and complicated customs clearance procedures.

The turning point occurred after the deep integration of the lavender industry and Silk Road cooperation in the local area. The local area is no longer satisfied with simple sightseeing tourism, but vigorously cultivates deep processing links and opens up cross-border export channels. Now, Mamuti has joined the cooperative and not only grows lavender, but also participates in deep processing and live streaming, earning four times more than just planting. This sea of flowers has truly transformed from a 'flower viewing scenery' to a 'wealth making flower'.

Creating a Purple Business Card for the Silk Road

In order to enhance industrial added value, Yili has put in a lot of effort in the cultural and tourism sector. The local area has created a Silk Road lavender study route to attract Central Asian tourists and study groups. Tourists can not only enjoy the rolling flower sea of purple waves, but also personally experience essential oil extraction and handmade sachet making, perfectly combining natural scenery with folk experiences.

Kazakh tourist Ayiguli is a frequent visitor here, bringing her family to Ili every year. The lavender here is different from the fragrance of our hometown, it's so beautiful. You can also buy pure natural essential oils and bring them back to give to friends and family. In terms of industry, a deep processing industrial park has been built locally to make lavender into high value-added products such as essential oils, hand creams, aromatherapy, pillow cores, etc., which precisely fits the consumption habits of the Central Asian market.

The fragrance of flowers wafts out of the country

A smooth logistics channel is crucial for the fragrance of flowers to waft out of the country. In order to open up cross-border export, Khorgos Port has opened a special customs clearance channel for lavender products, and implemented the mode of "origin quarantine+port quick release". Fresh flowers and processed products can be transported through the entire cold chain and arrive at supermarkets in Almaty and Bishkek in just two to three days.

At the same time, cross-border e-commerce has also played a huge role. Local merchants showcase the entire process of lavender cultivation and processing to Central Asian consumers through short video platforms, and live streaming sales have been steadily increasing. Mamuti proudly said, "Now our lavender products are particularly popular in Central Asia, and the fragrance of the flowers is wafting out of the country. Our lives are becoming more and more fragrant

From a sea of flowers to a complete Silk Road industry chain, the story of Yili lavender hides the gentlest form of Silk Road cooperation. Using characteristic industries as bridges and people to people connections as veins, let local goods flow along the Silk Road, and let the warmth of cooperation permeate every corner with the fragrance of flowers.Editor/Yang Meiling