An Unlikely “Lychee Express” Gives Spotlight to Lingnan Sweetness丨CBN Perspective
Hello!WelcometothiseditionofCBNPerspective.I’mStephanieLi.
Assummerheatsup,lycheefruitbecomesoneoftheseason'smostsought-aftertreats.Andguestwhat?Intheswelteringsummerof2025,anhistoricaldramaexplodedontoscreenslikeaburstofripelycheejuice,stainingtheLingnanculturallandscapeinvibrantred.
Adaptedfromawards-winningauthorMaBoyong’ssharp-wittednovella,"TheLitchiRoad"gallopedintoheartsasTangDynastylow-rankingofficialLiShande’sHerculeanquesttodeliverfreshlycheesfromLingnantoChang’anunfolded.
Thiswassimply“MissionImpossible:”LingnanwasaregionroughlyencompassingtheprovincesofGuangdong,Hainan,andGuangxi,evenpartsofYunnanandFujianprovinces,whilehisdestinationChang'an,wasthecountry'sthencapital,nowXi'an,inNorthwestChina'sShaanxiprovince.Thejourneyspannedover2,500kilometersandtookmorethan20daysonhorseback,yetlycheesonlystayedfreshforthreedays.
ForpeoplelivinginnorthernChinaduringancienttimes,lycheewasaluxury,mosttime,impossibletoprocure,evenfortheEmperorandhispreciousconcubineYangYuhuan.
StarringactorLeiJiayinasLi,thedramafollowslife-or-deathchallengeamidanalreadydifficultlife.HowcouldLideviseafeasiblemethodtofulfilltheemperor'sseeminglyabsurddemand?
FirstairedonnationalTVandstreamingsiteslastSaturday,theplotscontinuetounfoldasLimanagestoovercomeobstaclesinflictedbothbynatureandhuman,toreachanunlikelygoal.
Butthiswasn’tyouraverageperioddrama—itsoonbecameatidalwave,drowningsocialmediainlycheeemojis,emptyingfruitstallsfasterthanasummerstorm,andevenredrawingChina’stourismmapwithlychee-shapedpins.
Fromitsfirstepisode,"TheLitchiRoad"smashedrecordslikeoverripefruitunderagallopinghorse.TencentVideo’s“binge-o-meter”hitaridiculous25,913injustthreedays,catapultingitintotheplatform’sVIPclub—reservedforshowssohot,theycomewithafanandacolddrink.
OveronCCTV-8,itdominatedtheprimetimeviewership,snagginga1.20%averageratingandapeakof1.38%—topdogamongalldramasthatsummer.
The“lycheeeffect”continuestospillovertoe-commerceplatforms.JD.comsawGuangdonglycheeorderssoar560%year-on-year,whileMeituan’ssearchesfor“Guangdonglychee”spiked143%inJune.
Alibaba’smarketplaceTaobaoevenwentfullTangDynasty,creatingavirtual“LycheeBazaar”withlantern-litlivestreamsandmerchantswearingancientcostumessellinglychees.Thecampaignrackedup600millionviews.
Brandsarealsoridingthelycheewave,asPagoda,China’spremiumfruitstorechain,sold110,000packsof"TheLitchiRoad"-brandedFeizixiaolycheesin48hours—eachboxstampedwithLiShande’sexhaustedface.
Dongguan,oneofGuangdong’slycheehub,dazzleswithcreative-lycheederivedfood.Localscraftsun-driedlycheesnacksforherbalteas,fermenttangylycheevinegar,andinfusericewinewithlycheenotes.Trendycafesservelychee-oolongcoldbrews,rose-infusedlycheespritzers,andlycheecoffeetonics.Evensavoryinnovationslikelychee-stuffedsausagesanddimsumappearinlocalfeasts,asthecityredefineslycheefromfruittoculturalculinaryicon.
Thefrenzycontinuestochargeintotourismmarket.Suddenly,Lingnan’slushorchardsandChang’an’sbustlingmarketsweren’tjustbackdrops—theybecamepilgrimagesitefortouristsandfans.
ThecrewteamedupwithGuangdong’stourismbureautorecreatetheshow’s“lycheerelay”inreallife—12hours,1,800kilometers,andaconvoyofrefrigeratedtrucksdressedasTangcarriages.Newsoutletsworldwidelosttheirminds,callingit“thesweetestlogisticsmissionsincetheSilkRoad.”
“Ahorse’shoovesraisedreddustasitraced;nooneknewthelycheeswerefortheconcubine’ssmile.”Lychee,onceaseasonalcommodity,isnowasymbolofTangDynastyromance,ofmodernmarketingmagic,andofhowa1,300-year-oldpoemcanechoina2025LuckinCoffeecup.
Formillennia,lycheeshavebeenmorethanafruitinLingnanculture—they’realivingsymbolweavinghistory,tradition,andeconomiclife.
NativetosouthernChinawith4,000yearsofcultivationrecords,theseruby-redgemscarryprofoundsymbolism:theirvibrantskinrepresentsprosperity,whilethesweetpulpembodiesloveandfertilityinartandliterature.Intraditionalmedicine,lycheesarereveredforenhancingvitalityandbeauty,blendingculinarydelightwithhealingwisdom.
InGuangdong,the"lycheeheartland,"thefruitanchorslocaleconomies,withannualharvestfestivalscelebratingitsroleincommunityheritage.
FromHanDynastyrecordstomodern-dayculturalevents,lycheesillustratehowasimplefruitcantranscendtime—bindingtogetheragriculturaltradition,artisticexpression,andcommerciallife.Theirstoryisatestamenttohumanculture’sabilitytoinvestnature’sbountywithmeaningthatspansdynasties.
Editor:LIYanxia
Host:StephanieLI
Writer:StephanieLI
SoundEditor:StephanieLI
GraphicDesigner:ZHENGWenjing,LIAOYuanni
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