Basic Introduction to Hejiang Lychee
There are three varieties: Dai Lu Lychee, Tuo Ti Lychee, and Fei Zi Xiao Lychee, which are considered the best in the world. Hejiang Lychee is a specialty of Sichuan Province, with three main varieties: Dai Lu Lychee, Tuo Ti Lychee, and Fei Zi Xiao Lychee. According to historical records, the cultivation of Hejiang Lychee dates back over 1,000 years. Since the beginning of the 21st century, through the efforts of the local people, the Hejiang Lychee has experienced significant development.
Product Features
Lychee is known as the top among the “Three Wonders of Hejiang,” renowned for its excellent color, aroma, taste, and shape, often referred to as the “King of Fruits.” It has a unique characteristic where “when one fruit comes to market, all others step aside.” Hejiang Lychee is distinguished by its late ripening, thin yet vibrant skin, large size with a small seed, thick and juicy flesh, crystal clarity, crispness, intense sweetness, fragrant aroma, and fine texture that melts in the mouth. Hejiang is rich in lychee resources with a full range of varieties, including Da Hong Pao, Fei Zi Xiao, Nu Mi Chi, Jiang Sha Lan, Gui Wei, Tuo Ti, Dai Lu, Nan Mu Ye, and Lu Jiao, among more than ten types. According to historical records, the cultivation of Hejiang Lychee dates back over 1,000 years. In 2004, Hejiang was recognized by China's Ministry of Agriculture as a premium late-ripening lychee base in the South Asian tropical region and a pesticide-free fruit base. In 2007, it won the “First Prize” at the Olympic Fruit Competition and the “Gold Award” at the China International Forest Products Expo, being named the most popular and best-selling product in Sichuan Province. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Hejiang Lychee was served as an official Olympic fruit, enjoyed by athletes from around the world.
Historical Folklore
Hejiang County, Sichuan Province, is a national late-ripening lychee base, with its unique quasi-tropical climate and favorable ecological environment, which have produced a uniquely late-ripening variety with exquisite flavor. The Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu's poem “Passing Through Huaqing Palace,” which includes the line “The consort smiles as she sees the dust cloud of the lone horse; no one knows that lychees have arrived,” describes the grand scene of transporting Hejiang Lychee in bamboo tubes over eight hundred miles to Chang'an in ancient times. The famous variety “Fei Zi Xiao” gets its name from this history.
Awards and Honors
Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the Olympic lychee, the county focused on obtaining Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification for lychee orchards in areas like Mishi, Xin Dian Wang Ao, and the Looshui Ya orchard in Gan Yu Town, and received certification from the State Standardization Administration and the State Quality Supervision Bureau for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The county also focused on building the brand strategy for lychee. In 2008, the “Dai Lu” and “Tuo Ti” lychees won the “Gold Award” at the China International Forest Products Expo and the title of “Famous Chinese Fruit.” Hejiang County was designated as “China's Late-Ripening Lychee Homeland” and selected as an official supplier of fruit for the Olympics. The county also focused on marketing strategies for lychee. By establishing the Hejiang Olympic Lychee Company and adopting corporate operations, it promoted the export of lychee, successfully entering the Beijing Olympics as the only dedicated Olympic fruit from Sichuan, greatly increasing the income of lychee farmers and brokers.