Lychee exports in Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong province, surged 250% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, with 1,099.3 tonnes shipped globally as innovative preservation techniques broke through traditional limitations of the highly perishable fruit, Guangzhou Customs announced on July 23.
ASEAN remained the top destination (up 230%), while the United States emerged as the second-largest market with a remarkable 26-fold increase. Exports to the UK also rose 43.2%, underscoring the growing global appetite for the premium fruit.
The dramatic growth defies lychee's notorious fragility—historically prone to deterioration within 72 hours of picking. Deputy Director of Guangzhou Customs, Huang Bin, attributed the leap to integrating "freshness chains" that ensure overseas consumers receive fruit at peak quality.
Guangzhou's lychee industry now ships globally within 48 hours using cutting-edge freezing technology (95% freshness for one year), accelerated cold chains, and customs fast-tracks—boosting farmer income by ¥2,500 per tonne.
This year's lychee harvest season, South, the International Communication Center of Nanfang Media Group in Guangdong province, China's economic powerhouse, has initiated four targeted international campaigns, leveraging media innovation to transform Guangdong lychees into a global commodity and spreading the name of Guangdong lychee to more international audiences.
On May 8, a themed story-sharing event in Maoming, a Guangdong city rich in lychee, was held in conjunction with the upcoming 15th National Games and the city's charm. The day before the event, South invited domestic outlets and international influencers for a cultural and agricultural tour highlighting the city's lychee industry and rural development achievements, aiming to promote orchards in China's largest lychee-producing region with a unique "sports + agriculture" narrative.
On May 19, at the invitation of South, dozens of international content creators visited Maoming, the primary lychee-producing area in Guangdong, tasted the sweetness of fresh lychees, and explored the local lychee industry. The influencers documented the precision supply chain, which enables freshly picked lychees to reach global markets within 48 hours, and distributed videos to more followers around the globe.
From July 3 to July 7, a Guangdong lychee tasting campaign was held in Penang, Malaysia, presenting quality lychees from Guangdong Province to the locals at Sunshine Mall, the largest Chinese supermarket in Penang, allowing them to taste fresh fruits during the lychee harvest season. Last year, South helped bring fresh Guangdong lychee to Penang for the first time.
From July 16 to July 18, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport hosted a warm welcome as the "Sweet Touchdown in Guangdong: Chill with Lychee" tasting event attracted crowds of curious international travelers eager to sample the region's iconic summer fruit.
Reporter: Hu Nan
Photo: He Shangkui
Editor: James, Shen He
