China's Most Underrated Lychee Province Safeguards This Year's Bountiful Harvest

Lychee, a summer delight for the Chinese people every year.

As a native fruit, the Chinese obsession with lychee has never ceased since humans first tasted its sweetness. Over two thousand years ago, the governor of Nanhai during the early Han Dynasty already presented lychees as tribute to Liu Bang. Later, the Tang Dynasty imperial family went to great lengths to enjoy lychees, with "horses galloping to deliver lychees, hundreds dying in the valleys." The Qing Dynasty's Emperor Qianlong praised lychee as "the king of fruits." Today, lychee-loving Chinese still eagerly await the annual lychee feast.

Unfortunately, this year's "lychee freedom" may not live up to expectations.

Recently, the National Lychee and Longan Industry Technology Research Center released data predicting a national lychee production decrease of 459,400 tons compared to last year. The main producing regions of Guangdong and Guangxi are particularly hard-hit, with severe reductions. Online discussions even suggest:

This year, just being able to eat lychees is a blessing.

But this "bad news" doesn’t apply everywhere. For instance, Fujian, another major lychee-producing region, has largely escaped the impact of reduced yields this year. Although Fujian's lychee output is smaller than Guangdong and Guangxi, it’s often overlooked that Fujian has been a lychee-producing region since ancient times, with its flavor praised as "the finest of all lychees under heaven from Fujian's four prefectures."

Thanks to its unique geographical advantages, Fujian’s distinctively flavored late-ripening lychees hit the market a month later than those from other regions, extending China’s "lychee freedom" every year.

Regarding the lychee shortage, Fujian locals say: "The nation may face a shortage, but we still have Fujian!"

Why has Fujian withstood the pressure?

Before discussing Fujian’s lychees, let’s first examine the reasons behind the reduced yields.

Lychee production is influenced by many factors, such as temperature, rainfall, rainy season duration, and biennial bearing cycles. Unfortunately, this year, almost every yield-affecting factor has emerged in South China, the primary lychee-producing region.

First, last winter’s unusually high temperatures deprived lychee trees of sufficient dormancy, hindering nutrient accumulation for flower bud differentiation. Then, this spring brought an unexpected cold snap, further disrupting lychee growth. Next, prolonged heavy rainfall in South China during April damaged the already sparse flower buds, preventing proper fruit set. Compounding these issues, last year was a "big year" for lychees, with trees overproducing and depleting their reserves, worsening the weather-impacted yields.

Beyond Guangdong and Guangxi, other lychee-producing regions include Yunnan, Sichuan, and Fujian. Notably, in Fujian’s main producing areas of Zhangzhou and Putian this year, neither the flower bud differentiation nor the flowering stages suffered significant weather disruptions. With proper care, lychee yields could even remain stable or increase.

It’s fair to say Fujian’s lychees have been blessed by the heavens this year, with little impact on production.

But attributing Fujian lychees’ appeal solely to this year’s stable yields would be a mistake. In fact, Fujian has long been China’s "hidden champion" of lychees.

Fujian began cultivating lychees artificially over 2,000 years ago, surpassing Guangdong in prominence during the Song Dynasty. Cai Xiang, one of the "Four Great Calligraphers of the Northern Song," served as the prefect of Quanzhou and authored *The Lychee Manual*, China’s earliest surviving agricultural treatise on lychees. He boldly declared that the finest lychees from "Guangnan and the regions of Kuizhou and Zizhou" could only compare to "Fujian’s lower-grade varieties," cementing Fujian lychees’ superior reputation for millennia.

Beyond Cai Xiang’s praise, Ming Dynasty writer Xu Bo noted: "Generally, Fujian’s produce can treat Guangdong as a younger brother and Sichuan as a servant." Poet Song Jue also wrote: "Among all lychees under heaven, those from Fujian’s four prefectures reign supreme."

Since ancient times, lychees have been more than just a delicacy—they embody a lifestyle and cultural legacy. The ancients wrote books and poems about lychees and hosted elegant gatherings during the harvest season, called "Red Cloud Society" or "Lychee Banquets." The name "Red Cloud Society" refers to the sight of ripe lychees covering branches like crimson clouds. Gathering to savor lychees, compose poetry, and converse joyously reflects a cultural refinement unique to Fujian.

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, as Fujian’s Maritime Silk Road flourished, lychees began sailing abroad on merchant ships, becoming among the first Chinese lychees exported overseas. In the early 20th century, American missionaries even transported lychee saplings from Fujian twice, successfully cultivating them in the U.S. Today, the "ancestors" of lychee trees in America and elsewhere trace back to Fujian.

Ming Dynasty scholar Chen Maoren summarized Fujian’s lychee distribution in *Quannan Notes*: "In Fujian, only four prefectures grow them. Fuzhou has the most, while Xinghua’s are the most extraordinary; Quanzhou and Zhangzhou are also renowned." Ancient Fujian’s lychee cultivation spanned the four prefectures of Fu, Xing, Quan, and Zhang. Today, Ningde and Putian are also major producers, with richer varieties like Lanzhu, Yuanhong, Shuangjian Yuhebao, Xiafanzhi, Ziniangxi, Jinzhong, Chenzi, and Dadingxiang gaining fame.

Thanks to the favor of history, Fujian still preserves numerous ancient trees today. In the ancient lychee tree grove of Maoxia Village, Hushan Town, Yongchun County, there are 65 ancient trees, including two lychee trees that are already 500 years old. In Putian, there stands an ancient lychee tree with a history of over 940 years. Planted by Xu Duo, the top scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, it is also called "Zhuangyuan Hong" (Top Scholar Red). In a bumper year, a single tree can yield over 1,200 kilograms of lychees. These lush ancient lychee trees not only gift Fujian people sweet summers but also stand as witnesses to the passage of time.

In terms of yield, Fujian's lychee production is relatively modest. For example, in 2021, Fujian produced only 109,200 tons of lychees, less than one-tenth of Guangdong's output. However, Fujian lychees have another delicious secret weapon: late ripening.

Lychees in China are distributed along the Tropic of Cancer, spanning Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang, and other regions. From early-ripening varieties in March to mid-ripening ones in May, and finally late-ripening varieties in July and August, the Chinese enjoy a lychee tasting season that lasts nearly half a year.

If asked which type of lychee—early, mid, or late-ripening—is the most delicious, most would say the mid-to-late varieties represented by Guiwei and Nuomici. Unfortunately, these two varieties are also among the hardest hit by this year's production decline in Guangdong, with reductions possibly as high as 60%-80%. However, Fujian's subtropical climate, moderated by microclimates like Dongwu Bay and Guanjing Bay, creates a unique geographical environment that extends the lychee harvest season, perfectly compensating for this year's shortage of late-ripening lychees.

Guiwei lychees, a representative of mid-to-late ripening varieties, have suffered severe yield reductions this year.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, Photography / PAOPAOANFANG

If you ask Fuzhou locals which lychee is the best, they will undoubtedly say it's the locally grown "Yuanhong" lychee. Shaped like a heart, with small pits, abundant flesh, and a delicate texture, Yuanhong lychees offer a sweet taste with a hint of sourness—a flavor cherished by Fuzhou people for millennia. But beyond Yuanhong, Fuzhou boasts more hidden lychee treasures. Beside the gate of Kaihua Temple in West Lake Park grows an ancient lychee tree called "Shiba Niang," producing small, red fruits with crisp and refreshingly sweet flesh. Xichan Temple is home to a 500-year-old lychee tree from the Song Dynasty, and during peak harvests, the temple sells limited quantities at just 15 yuan per jin—a unique happiness for Fuzhou locals.

On scorching summer days, a bowl of chilled lychees is the perfect way to beat the heat.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, Photography / Amber Moment

In Putian, the "Lychee City" where lychees are everywhere, locals will insist that Chenzi lychees reign supreme among Fujian's varieties. Chenzi is a unique Putian lychee with a distinctive floral aroma. This variety was documented as early as the Song Dynasty by Cai Xiang, who noted that wealthy families who tasted Chenzi would no longer be satisfied with other lychee varieties. Beyond Fuzhou and Putian, Fujian's lychee universe also includes late-ripening lychees from Sandu'ao and Xiapu, as well as Wushi lychees from Zhangpu.

With such abundant lychee resources, Fujianese—who know and love good food—have developed more ways to enjoy lychees beyond eating them fresh. On the day of the Great Heat (Dashu), people pair lychees with mutton soup as part of the "celebrating Dashu" tradition. Another common practice is dipping lychees in soy sauce—a seemingly bizarre but surprisingly perfect combination.

Dipping lychees in soy sauce—a signature Fujianese way to enjoy them.

Photography / Zhu Mengfei

Excess lychees are often dried. The method for making dried lychees follows the "red salt" technique recorded in the Song Dynasty's "Lychee Manual." First, hibiscus flowers are soaked in brine, then lychees are added and sun-dried. Under the continuous influence of sea breezes and sunlight, the fresh sweetness of lychees transforms into a rich, concentrated flavor, extending the taste of summer all year round.

A lychee shortage this year? Then let’s head to Fujian for a feast!