A hit drama series in China has boosted the popularity of a summer fruit favorite, the lychee.
In the new historical drama, "The Lychee Road" (2025), a low-ranking official is tasked with delivering fresh lychees over 2,500 kilometers from southern China to the imperial palace in Chang'an — all in time for Consort Yang's birthday.
Adapted from a Chinese novel with the same name, the series has captivated audiences with its mix of history and humor. It's also making the real-life fruit a runaway hit this summer.
In Maoming City of south China's Guangdong Province where every fifth lychee in the world comes from, tourism campaigns themed around lychees have gained popularity this year.
"In this year's lychee season, the number of tourists is expected to surge more than 150 percent compared to the same period last year," said Huo Wu, deputy director of Maoming Culture and Tourism Bureau.
And it's not just the orchards feeling the rush. Along an expressway there, a newly opened service area has become a lychee-themed destination. Travelers can sip lychee coffee, send postcards from a lychee post office, and browse for lychee-themed souvenirs, all part of a multi-sensory tribute to the fruit.
Native to southern China, the lychee is loved for its sweet, floral flavor and juicy texture.
Beneath its spiky red skin is a translucent flesh that's packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and hydration, making it not only delicious but a healthy summer pick-me-up.
In neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the lychee season is also in full swing.
The region's famed "Feizixiao" variety, literally "the smile of the beauty", is finishing its harvest, while the beloved "Guiwei" lychees are about to take over.
Online, over 300,000 orders have already been placed, and producers are gearing up for nationwide promotions and even international exports.
"We’re collecting 50,000 kilograms of lychee per day. Our e-commerce orders alone are between 10,000 and 20,000 packages daily," said Chen Huang, tech director of Lingshan Agricultural Company. The fruit has also become a star ingredient in this year's hottest summer drinks. Lychee-flavored teas and juices are dominating sales charts.
"I used to think fruit juice never tasted like the real thing. But this one is different -- it's like biting into a fresh lychee. So juicy and sweet," said Mr. Xu, a lychee juice customer.
Bakeries are also joining the trend with lychee mousse cakes and fruit-filled pastries.
Coffee shops are serving up lychee lattes and even lychee Americanos. Thanks to the hit drama, lychee has been enjoying a starring role both on screen and at the table.
Chinese historical drama boosts summer fruit sales
China's manufacturing sector has continued to accelerate its transformation and upgrading this year, moving faster toward high-end, intelligent and green development.
The country's consumer electronics industry has recently rolled out a steady stream of new models. A smartphone now features multiple advances in high-end manufacturing, such as a domestically developed memory chip used commercially in a flagship phone for the first time, offering lower power consumption and faster data transfer, or a flexible screen capable of withstanding millions of folds without breaking.
"Ultra-thin glass, only one-third the thickness of a human hair, is supported by more than 10 core technologies, and the entire chain is independently controllable," said Qi Yanjie, deputy director of the research and development center of a high-tech enterprise in east China's Wuhu City, while introducing a smartphone screen.
China's advanced manufacturing industry has continued to expand this year. In August, the added value of high-tech manufacturing and digital product manufacturing by industrial firms above the designated size increased 16.7 percent and 15.7 percent year on year, respectively. New growth drivers contributed more than 60 percent to growth in industrial output above the designated size, becoming a key engine driving the industrial economy.
Production methods have also been upgraded. At an intelligent manufacturing base in south China's Shenzhen City, nearly 30,000 orders pour in every day, with about 90 percent involving personalized customizations.
The base handles these orders using an intelligent system that increases efficiency and reduces costs. "Our intelligent production scheduling system can coordinate the overall scheduling of 300 million materials, and can basically complete the process from order intake to product shipping within 24 hours," said Liu Chuchun, head of the intelligent manufacturing base.
To date, China has built more than 56,000 basic-level smart factories, and artificial intelligence technologies have been adopted by over 30 percent of industrial enterprises above the designated size.
China's rising high-end manufacturing momentum not only strengthens the foundations of the domestic industrial economy, but also provides strong impetus for exports.
In August, the exports value of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased 11.1 percent year on year, maintaining double-digit growth for five consecutive months, with high-end equipment products serving as the main engine of foreign trade growth. "High-tech products such as photovoltaic modules, wind power equipment, high-end machine tools and industrial robots have become new calling cards for Chinese manufacturing going global, effectively contributing to technological progress, industrial upgrading and green transformation in other countries," said Ji Jianjun, a research fellow with the Institute for International Economic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission.
China's manufacturing sector moves further up value chain
