Workers check the growth of sweet wormwood at a planting base of a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

RONG'AN -- Located in a remote, mountainous area experiencing severe rocky desertification, Rong'an County covers largely barren land that makes traditional farming difficult. However, its harsh conditions are ideal for growing sweet wormwood, which thrives in arid environments and can withstand drought. Once dried, the plant is processed to extract artemisinin, which is then made into medicine and shipped to Africa to help local communities fight malaria.

Rong'an is a major production base of artemisinin at home and abroad. The annual production of artemisinin exceeds 100 tonnes, accounting for a quarter of the global total.

A technician tests artemisinin at a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

A technician works on sweet wormwood breeding at a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

A technician tests artemisinin at a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

A technician operates to extract artemisinin at a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

A worker transfers sweet wormwood as raw materials at a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

Technicians test sweet wormwood as raw materials at a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

Employees transfer barrels of artemisinin at a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

A worker checks the growth of sweet wormwood at a planting base of a pharmaceutical company in Rong'an County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)