Guo Jialin reached through the dense green leaves of her family's orchard in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, and twisted a ripe lychee from its branch. With a gentle squeeze, its rough red skin split open, revealing the cool, translucent flesh beneath.
"Their sweetness and refreshing texture make lychees one of the best ways to enjoy summer in Lingnan," Guo said. For her, this is not just a taste, but the flavor of a season.
Lingnan refers to a region in southern China covering Guangdong, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Hainan province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
As the traditionally hottest period of the Chinese summer began on Wednesday, freshly harvested lychees once again appeared in fruit stalls and on dining tables across the country.
In traditional Chinese dietary culture, lychees are believed to replenish qi, or vital energy. This has made them especially popular during the sweltering summer months.
China is the world's largest producer of lychees. Guangdong alone accounts for around half of the country's output, followed by Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian province.
In Guangdong, the annual lychee season lasts nearly three months, typically running from May through late July, with different varieties ripening in succession.
Located on the edge of the tropics and within the subtropical zone, Guangdong enjoys warm temperatures, abundant rainfall and short winters, creating favorable conditions for lychee trees to flower and bear fruit. The province's acidic red soil and well-drained hillsides further support cultivation, producing lychees prized for their rich aroma, abundant flesh and small seeds.
"Guangdong is home to more than 300 lychee varieties, each with its own flavor and texture," Guo said. "For example, Nuomici (glutinous rice lychee) has tender, pleasantly chewy flesh like gummy candy. Guiwei (sweet osmanthus lychee) carries a delicate floral sweetness reminiscent of osmanthus blossoms, while Feizixiao (concubine's smile lychee) stands out for its rich, bold sweetness."
However, lychees come with one defining limitation: Their fragrance and freshness begin to fade within days of harvest. Yet this fleeting quality has never diminished their appeal. On the contrary, the race to savor them at their peak has added a sense of romance to the fruit's enduring charm — an affection shaped by centuries of cultivation and storytelling.
For example, the name Feizixiao is traditionally associated with a famous tale from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Emperor Xuanzong, the seventh ruler of the dynasty, is said to have arranged a relay of swift horses to transport fresh lychees around 2,000 kilometers from Lingnan to the imperial capital of Chang'an — present-day Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province — so that his beloved consort, Yang Yuhuan, could enjoy them before they spoiled. Thanks to a tightly coordinated transportation system comprising boats and horses, the journey could reportedly be completed in as few as three days.
According to legend, the arrival of the fruit brought a smile to Yang's face, inspiring the variety's poetic name. Today, modern logistics are transforming the centuries-old race against time. Faster transportation and advances in cold-chain technology are bringing fresh Lingnan lychees to consumers far beyond China's borders.
Che Huoyi, general manager of Guangdong Mingjing Agricultural Development Co, said, "This year, our lychees are mainly exported to countries including the United States, Australia and Russia, while Cambodia has become a new market."
Younger consumers, meanwhile, have embraced creative combinations such as lychee lattes, sparkling lychee-flavored drinks, iced teas and frozen lychees filled with yogurt. These playful creations are giving the fruit renewed, contemporary urban appeal.
Local entrepreneurs have also found ways to preserve the fruit beyond its short harvest season.
According to Ou Qiwei, vice-president of Guangzhou Shunchangyuan Wine and Spirit Co, the company's lychee wine has reached markets across Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.
As tempting as lychees are, however, they are best enjoyed in moderation. In traditional Chinese dietary culture, it is believed that excessive consumption can cause "internal heat". Healthy adults are generally advised to eat no more than 10 to 15 lychees a day, while children and older adults should limit themselves to between five and eight.
Like summer itself, lychees are at their best when enjoyed fresh.
