Guangdong will be wrapped in sweetness for the following months as lychee, the region's emblematic produce, hits the market with the 2025 Lychee Festival opening on June 6.
The practice of using lychee as a royal tribute can be traced back thousands of years in China and peaked during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). A legend involving lychee and the Tang emperor's favorite concubine, Yang Yuhuan, has been passed down for generations, greatly enhancing the fruit's fame across regions.
It is said that concubine Yang Yuhuan was infatuated with lychee. Tang Dynasty official Gao Lishi arranged for lychee, his hometown specialty from what is now Guangdong's Maoming City, to be sent as a royal tribute to the capital in northern China to satisfy Yang's craving for the fruit. Due to the long distance and primitive logistics, the journey always involved a massive, desperate horse relay, causing the horses to trot at such speed that they bled and stained the dust they stirred up in red.
This household legend inspired the iconic poetic lines that a smile from the emperor's favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan for lychee costs a thousand steeds in bloody red, lethal runs.
However, as transportation and cultivation technology improve, lychee has become a cherished treat in Guangdong and is appreciated by foreign palates as well.
With favorable natural conditions, Guangdong is the world's largest and oldest lychee producer, boasting over 2000 years of cultivation history. With a cultivation area exceeding 2800 km², breathtaking seas of lychee orchards studded with fiery red fruits are a common sight in cities like Maoming.
Holding hundreds of lychee varieties, with premium types accounting for 75% of the total output, Guangdong lychee has now been exported to a dozen countries, including the United States, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia, primarily available in local Chinese supermarkets. Now, 1 in every 3 lychees worldwide comes from Guangdong.
As this year's lychee season kicks off in June, this fragrant Eastern fruit is also finding its way to tables around the globe. Grab some quickly! Anyone who misses out on the season will have to wait for another year. Here is where you may find lychee in the world and a curated list of the most commonly enjoyed lychee varieties, along with what makes them stand out.
Reporter & Poster Copy | Huang Xinyi
Poster | Cai Junru
Editor | Ouyang Yan, Hu Nan, James, Shen He
