Jingxi Star Anise

Jingxi Star Anise

　　Fennel, also known as star anise or commonly referred to as ba jiao (eight-horn), is an evergreen tree from the Magnoliaceae family with an aromatic quality throughout. Its fruit consists of 8–9 woody follicles arranged in a whorled, star-like pattern, and is reddish-brown in color. The fruit and leaves are distilled to extract an essential oil known as “aniseed oil,” which is an indispensable ingredient in high-grade food flavorings and cosmetics, as well as an important raw material in the pharmaceutical industry, and is a traditional export product of Jingxi. As early as during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, local entrepreneurs organized companies such as Helicompany and Tongde Company, obtaining permits to reclaim land and cultivate star anise in areas around Wuling and Longbang. During the Republican era, annual production reached approximately 25,000 kilograms of star anise and 55,000 kilograms of aniseed oil. After liberation, the highest annual outputs were recorded in 1974, with 114,500 kilograms of star anise, and in 1978, with 41,000 kilograms of aniseed oil. By 1990, the county had 14,000 mu of star anise plantations, yielding 3,600 kilograms of star anise and 11,600 kilograms of aniseed oil. Major production areas are located in villages such as Fulai, Tuolin, Naduo, and Naxie in Kuixu Township; Zhenbang and Xinbang in Bamao Township; Anben and Lilu in Wuping Township; Zubiao, Yijiang, Qilian, and Guolao in Tongde Township; and Gengcun in Huru Town. These villages are mostly close to Debao County, and the products are often sold nearby in Debao.