Some 21 individuals of sweet osmanthus aged more than 100 years was recorded in Yunnan of south-west China. Current investigations revealed that all the plants belong to the cultivation origin, and about half of them are in the Chinese Religion-temple yards and others are growing in the villages. Four of the 21 individuals died naturally, and 1 of them has been seriously damaged. Based on the analysis and discussion of growth and protection of the ancient sweet osmanthus in Yunnan, some urgent research works on cultivar ranks and genetic base, and feasible approaches on protection and resources utilization have also been proposed in the paper.