Another recent find locally is Cymbopogon citratus lemongrass, lemon grass, citronella etc. In Chinese, 柠檬草 (níng méng cǎo), 香茅草 (xiāng máo cǎo ) or just 香茅 (xiāng máo).
This perennial grass is common in SE Asia, perhaps most famously in Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. It pairs perfectly with fish and seafood dishes as well as bringing an acid touch to some SE Asian curries. I also once had it in a SE Asian themed restaurant here in Liuzhou where stalks of lemon grass were used as skewers for grilled chicken 'kebabs'.
I am hoping that my recent finds of culantro and now, lemon grass are heralds of closer economic and trade ties between China and the Association of SE Asian Nations (ASEAN) members - for the last few years they have been holding an annual joint conference in Guangxi's capital Nanning, just about an hour down the bullet train track from Liuzhou.