Unlocking Chinese Cities | Lychees industry thriving in China's Maoming City

The recent hit TV drama The Lychee Road has put "Lingnan lychees" in the spotlight. "Lingnan" typically refers to the region south of the Five Ridges in China, and in the series, the "Lychee Envoy" Li Shande has to deliver the lychees in the shortest time possible from what is now Maoming, Guangdong Province to the capital Chang'an.

 

Famous for its lush scenery and abundant lychee harvests, Maoming supplied this fruit as an imperial tribute thousands of years ago. The city is China's largest lychee production base with a planting area of over 93,000 hectares and an annual output that accounted for roughly 20 percent of the country's total in 2024. 

Today, thanks to advancements in cold-chain logistics, the sweet taste of Maoming lychees can be enjoyed by people all around the world.