On May 19, the 2025 Maoming Lychee Carnival kicked off with fresh lychee fruits and lychee derivatives, leaving a lasting impression on a group of international vloggers organized by GDToday.
Photo: Pan Jiajun
Photo: Pan Jiajun
As the world's largest lychee production base, Guangdong boasts a lychee cultivation area exceeding 2.8 million hectares. The proportion of high-quality lychee varieties has surged from 40% in 2018 to 75%, and the comprehensive output value has surpassed 35 billion yuan.
Through the "fresh fruit + processing + cultural tourism" model, various regions have driven an increase in income for over 500,000 lychee farmers.
Maoming, as the main lychee-producing area in Guangdong, boasts the longest history, the largest area, and the highest output in the lychee industry. With a lychee cultivation area of over 93,333 hectares, it is the largest lychee producer in the world.
Photo: Li Yangshi
Its annual lychee output accounts for about a quarter of the national total and a fifth of the global output, meaning that one out of every five lychees in the world comes from Maoming.
It also has the most comprehensive variety of lychees, with over 80 varieties in the city. The established National Lychee Germplasm Resource Nursery has collected germplasm resources of more than 700 lychee varieties from around the world.
Photo: Li Yangshi
Photo: Li Yangshi
When asked about the local lychees, Alexandra Louise Ogden, a Canadian vlogger, described them as "so delicious," highlighting a stark contrast with her experience in Canada. "I'm from Vancouver, so we only have one week a year to eat lychee," she explained. "I'm super excited that I can have lychee here every day because it's a very rare fruit back home."
Her admiration extended to lychee-flavored products, particularly a lychee popsicle she tried. "It is really, really refreshing." She added that she really wanted to show people where lychees originated in China, emphasizing that Maoming is one of the most famous places for lychee cultivation.
Photo: Pan Jiajun
Photo: Pan Jiajun
With the support of preservation technology, Maoming lychees are making their way across the oceans. This year, five more countries and regions have been added for lychee exports, bringing the total number of exporting countries and regions to 22. It is expected that the city's lychee export volume will increase by 110%.
Kaya from Türkiye is particularly interested in lychee derivatives such as lychee ice cream, lychee jelly, and lychee drinks, believing that these items are well-suited to meet international market demands. "I'll showcase the history of lychees in Maoming to my followers and describe the unique flavors of lychees to them."
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | Pan Jiajun, Li Yangshi
Editor | Hu Nan, James, Shen He
