Where are the main producing areas of lychee located today?

The producing areas of lychee are in the southwest, south and southeast of our country, with cultivation being most extensive in Guangdong, Guangxi and southern Fujian. It is also cultivated in southeast Asia, and there are records of its introduction in Africa, the Americas and Oceania.

Lychee, together with banana, pineapple and longan, is known as one of the “four great fruits of the south”. Lychee originated in southern China and is a subtropical fruit tree, an evergreen tree about 10 m tall. The skin of the fruit has scale-like protrusions and is bright red or purple-red. When fresh, the flesh is semi-transparent and curd-like, with a fragrant and delicious taste.

Lychee is a famous fruit tree with a long history of cultivation in southern China, and it is generally recognized that its place of origin is in the tropical and subtropical regions of southern China. According to reports, in recent years wild lychee has been found successively in remote tropical forests in Hainan and Yunnan, providing direct evidence for the above conclusion.

There are many documents concerning lychee throughout the dynasties of our country. The earliest records are seen in the Han Dynasty’s “Shanglin Fu” and “Yiwu Zhi”, and the Jin Dynasty’s “Nanfang Caomu Zhuang”, among others. There are also quite a few special articles or books recording lychee in past dynasties, and as far as is currently known there are about 10 or more kinds. In Wu Qijun’s “Zhiwu Ming Shi Tu Kao Chang Bian” alone, 6 kinds are transcribed. Cai Xiang’s “Lizhi Pu” and Wu Yingkui’s “Lingnan Lizhi Pu” are both representative and relatively comprehensive monographs on lychee, giving detailed accounts of historical materials, producing areas, varieties, cultivation, insect pests, phenology, processing and consumption of lychee in various aspects. Cai’s work focuses on materials from Fujian, while Wu’s work is based on the experience and famous varieties of Guangdong, so each has its own characteristics. These documents provide extremely valuable historical materials for research on lychee. There are many cultivated varieties of lychee, distinguished by traits such as maturity period, color, prominence of small nodular protrusions, and flavor of the flesh. Famous varieties include Guangdong’s Lanyuehong and Yuhebao (early-maturing); Heitu and Huaizhi (mid-maturing); Guiliu and Nuomici (late-maturing), among others. Famous varieties in Fujian include Zhuangyuanhong, Chenzi and Lanzhu, and Lanzhu is not only of good quality but also suitable for planting in mountainous areas. In addition, Sichuan’s Dahongpao and Nanmuye are also famous local varieties.