Translated with AI
Every year, in the height of summer, from late June to mid-July, the peak of fresh lychee season arrives. During these weeks, the harvest from Guangdong Province is distributed not only throughout China but also conquers global markets. Thanks to modern storage technologies and well-established international logistics chains, international deliveries are virtually synchronized with domestic ones. A prime example: express delivery to Europe takes just 36 hours!
There are more than ten regions in China that rightfully bear the title of "Lychee Homeland," and almost half of them are located in Guangdong Province. These include Maoming, Dongguan, Zhuhai, the Zengcheng District of Guangzhou, and the Nanshan District of Shenzhen. It is here that the star varieties of the Chinese market mature: Maoming produces the legendary feizixiao ("concubine smile"), Dongguan produces guiwei ("osmanthus scent") and nomizi ("rice cakes"), and Guangzhou's Zengcheng produces zengchenggualyu ("green peel"). However, the undisputed leader among them is recognized as Maoming, the largest lychee cultivation base in the world. The modernization and technological transformation of this industry in Maoming serve as a shining example of the effective implementation of structural reforms in Guangdong Province's agriculture.
The development of the lychee industry in Maoming has become a distinctive agricultural calling card for the region and a clear embodiment of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's inspection tour of Guangdong in April 2023. He visited Zhanjiang, Maoming, Guangzhou, and other cities, calling on the province to become a leader in advancing Chinese-style modernization. On April 11, during a visit to Baiqiao Village (Genzi Township, Gaozhou County, Maoming City), Xi Jinping reviewed lychee cultivation and the progress of rural revitalization. The head of state emphasized that Maoming is the historical birthplace of lychee, and this cultural tradition must be developed through improved cultivation, storage, and processing technologies, as well as the creation of unique agrotourism routes.
Maoming is home to over 1.4 million mu (95,000 hectares) of lychee orchards—accounting for one in five lychees in the world. In 2025, the fresh fruit harvest exceeded 620,000 tons, with sales revenue exceeding 9 billion yuan, or over $1.3 billion. The total turnover of the entire production chain was 12 billion yuan, or nearly $1.8 billion. A unique storage technology developed in Maoming played a key role: it extends the freshness of lychees for up to 18 months, making the fruit's former vulnerability a reality. In logistics, Guangdong companies rely on direct purchases from plantations and prompt delivery: lychees from Maoming arrive in Hong Kong in 12 hours, in Xinjiang and Xizang in 24, and in Europe in 36. Today, Maoming lychees are exported to 22 countries and regions, including Russia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the countries of Southeast Asia.
Since the early 2000s, the Guangdong Lychee Industry Association has been promoting the globalization of the industry. Thanks to scientific research, patents, and international collaboration, lychees have become a versatile raw material—for food, wine, medicine, and cosmetics. Today, digital platforms based on 5G, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence have been implemented. Thus, Guangdong lychees have entered a new era of modernization: "seasonal production, year-round consumption, production in Guangdong, consumption worldwide."
Maoming lychees, with over 2,000 years of cultivation, are rightfully considered a living fossil. In recent years, the city has been actively developing cultural tourism around this theme: for example, the fruit of an 1,816-year-old tree was put up for auction online, and local companies, in collaboration with an ancient lychee orchard, launched an elite variety called "Lychee for the Concubine"—a reminder of the fruit's former imperial delicacy. Maoming also houses the state-level China Lychee Museum, which combines history, science, and entertainment. In collaboration with the makers of the film "Lychee in Chang'an," the city is promoting the brand "May 20th – I Love Lychee and You," adding emotional depth to the fruit.
The dynamic growth of the lychee industry in Guangdong is a shining example of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, reflecting key aspects of material, spiritual, and ecological civilization, as well as shared prosperity. 2026 marked the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan: under the shade of Guangdong's lychee trees, a local niche industry has transformed into a major one with a turnover of 10 billion yuan.
(CGTN correspondent Zhao Yi)
