Farmers embrace bumper lychee harvest in Maoming, S China's Guangdong

A farmer smiles while holding freshly harvested lychees at Gongyuan orchard in Genzi town, Gaozhou, a county-level city under Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Sheng)

In early summer, visitors driving to Baiqiao village in Genzi town, Gaozhou city, a county-level city under Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province, are welcomed by branches heavy with bright red lychees and farmers inviting tourists to taste the sweet fruit.

Gongyuan orchard in the village is one of the country’s largest and oldest lychee orchards, home to the widest variety of lychees. Under the sunny sky, farmers harvest the fruit while visitors stroll through the trees and artists paint scenes of the abundant harvest.

Lychee cultivation in Maoming dates back more than 2,000 years. Today, the full lychee supply chain generates more than 12 billion yuan ($1.67 billion). This year, orchards in the city cover about 1.42 million mu, or nearly 95,000 hectares.