Chongqing - With the TV drama and feature film The Lychee Road sweeping the nation, Fuling’s ancient Lychee Road has captured the spotlight once more. Established more than 1,200 years ago to transport fresh lychees to the imperial court, this storied corridor now embodies both cultural heritage and modern innovation—seamlessly linking its historic origins to today’s booming lychee industry and sophisticated transport networks.

International poster for the film adaptation of “The Lychee Road.” (Photo/Douban)

A new wave of interest in lychees has swept across China, thanks to the recent popularity of the TV drama and film “The Lychee Road,” adapted from writer Ma Boyong’s novel. As viewers binge-watch the series and crave the juicy fruit, many are surprised to learn that the lychees enjoyed by the court didn't actually come from Guangdong. Instead, history points to an ancient “express route” from Fuling, Chongqing—the legendary Lychee Road.

Scholars and experts agree that with the Tang Dynasty's climate, preservation techniques, and transport constraints, the bulk of imperial lychees came from Bashu, notably Fuling, rather than distant Lingnan. “Based on yield, road distance, and preservation, the mainstream academic view is that Fuling in Chongqing was the main source,” says an official from the Chongqing Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. Fuling’s proximity to Chang’an and its favorable climate during the Tang era made it a thriving center of lychee production.

Guo Fengying, a staff member in Baisheng Town, Chongqing’s Fuling District, inspects the ancient road site deep in the mountains on July 30. (Photo/Xinhua)

A close-up of freshly picked lychees in Muhe Village, Nantuo Town, Chongqing’s Fuling District, on July 29. (Photo/Xinhua)

Traversing the formidable mountains of Sichuan, the Lychee Road was part of the greater Shu Road network, celebrated in Tang poetry as “harder than climbing to heaven.” Among these ancient paths, the Lychee Road is famous. More than a fruit delivery route, it was a lifeline connecting regions and cultures, rich in political, military, and commercial significance in ancient times.

Recent archaeological surveys have traced the original Lychee Road from Fuling in Chongqing through Sichuan and into Shaanxi, ending at Chang’an (now Xi’an). Along the way, remnants of post stations, bridges, and stone-paved roads testify to the route’s bustling past. Although Fuling’s lychee orchards declined after the An Lushan Rebellion, the road remained a vital artery of north-south exchange through subsequent dynasties.

Wang Dengrong, a villager, films a short video in the lychee orchard to promote the fruit on July 30. (Photo/Xinhua)

Wang Dengrong packs fresh lychees for delivery to customers via express shipping on July 30. (Photo/Xinhua)

In the 21st century, the spirit of the Lychee Road lives on. Driven by rural development and the resettlement needs of the Three Gorges project, villagers in Muhe Village, Nantuo Town, Fuling, have revived lychee cultivation. The once-famous scenic spot blooms anew in modern orchards.

A drone captures Huangqi Port on the banks of the Yangtze in Chongqing’s Fuling District on July 30. (Photo/Xinhua)

Aerial view of the Lychee Wujiang Bridge on the Shiyu Expressway in Chongqing’s Fuling District on July 30. (Photo/Xinhua)

Highways and railways wind through Fuling’s mountains, linking the region to the world. (Photo/Xinhua)

Multilayered roadways converge at the approach to the Fuling Yangtze River Bridge. (Photo/Xinhua)

Today, hundreds of acres of lychee trees thrive along the banks of the Yangtze River, while high-efficiency logistics ensure that freshly picked, dew-covered lychees reach consumers across China the very same day. Highways and railways weave through the mountains, village roads lead deep into the orchards, and river ports dispatch shipments near and far. The ancient “lychee express” has evolved into a modern marvel—but its legacy lives on, bridging past and present, tradition and innovation.

Where the once-treacherous Shu Road stood, Lychee Road now rises—not as an obstacle, but as a vibrant symbol of Chongqing’s enduring vitality.