The Prosperous Tang Dynasty, the bustling city of Chang'an

大唐盛世，烟火长安

Ma Boyong's classic masterpiece, “The Lychees of Chang'an,” shines on the silver screen!

马伯庸的经典力作《长安的荔枝》闪耀荧屏!

Chang'an not only witnessed the splendor and brilliance of the Tang Dynasty, 

长安既见证着大唐的旖旎璀璨

but also bore witness to the struggles and aspirations of ordinary people like “Li Shande”.

也见证着如“李善德”这般小人物的生存与奋斗

Behind these tiny lychees,

这小小的荔枝背后

lie the intricate intrigues of the imperial court,

不仅暗藏波谲云诡的官场风云

but also the city's lifestyle aesthetics and the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

更包裹着长安城的生活美学与人间烟火

However, what few know is that the origin of the lychees served in the Tang court over a thousand years ago

然而鲜为人知的是，这一千多年前长安宫廷荔枝的产地

has yet to be determined.

至今还没争出个结果

The “Concubine's Smile” lychees beloved by Tang nobles

唐朝贵族们钟爱的“妃子笑”

were they rushed from Lingnan

到底是从岭南加急运送

or delivered by fast horses from Ba Shu?

还是从巴蜀快马直达

Today, we'll dive deep into this cross-temporal “The Lychee Conflict”.

今天咱就深挖这场跨时空的“荔枝之争”

Lingnan faction: We are the most popular!

岭南派：我们才是顶流！

Du Mu's famous line

杜牧的那句

“A single rider in the red dust brings a smile to the concubine's face; no one knows it's the lychees arriving”

“一骑红尘妃子笑，无人知是荔枝来”

is well-known to all

耳熟能详

The Lingnan School insists that this refers to the scene of lychees being urgently delivered from Lingnan.

岭南派便坚称这说的就是岭南加急送荔枝的场景

Historical records show

从历史记载来看

that during the Tang Dynasty, there were clear records that the lychees eaten by Yang Guifei came from Lingnan.

唐代有明确记录杨贵妃所食荔枝出自岭南

In “Tang Guo Shi Bu” by Li Zao of the Tang Dynasty, it is mentioned

唐·李肇《唐国史补》里提到

“Yang Guifei was born in Shu and loved to eat lychees. Those from the South Sea were even better than those from Shu, so they were rushed to the palace every year.”

“杨贵妃生于蜀，好食荔枝，南海所生，尤胜蜀者，故每岁飞驰以进”

Moreover, the story of lychees being offered as tribute can be traced back to the Han Dynasty.

而且，荔枝进贡的故事在汉代就有迹可循

The “Book of the Later Han” records that during the Yongyuan era of the Eastern Han Dynasty

《后汉书》记载，东汉和帝永元年间

there were instances of lychees and longans being sent as tributes from the South Sea (Lingnan)

就有从南海（岭南）进贡龙眼、荔枝的情况

“Every ten miles there was a relay station, every five miles a watchtower, with riders rushing through dangerous terrain, and the dead lit the path.”

“十里一置，五里一堠，奔腾阻险，死者继路”

Li Shande's route for transporting lychees in “Lychees of Chang'an”

The Bashu faction: Don't blindly guess, we have solid evidence!

巴蜀派：别瞎猜，我们有实锤！

The archaeological team has made a major discovery in Fuling.

考古队在涪陵有重大发现

The 'Lychee Ancient Road' site has been unearthed. 

出土了“荔枝古道”遗址

Horse hoof prints are clearly visible on the stone road!

石板路上马蹄印清晰

This site is also mentioned in the "Book of the Huayang Region" from ancient times.

《华阳国志》也早有记载

The Ba Commandery (present-day Chongqing) has been famous for lychees since ancient times.

巴郡（今重庆）荔枝自古有名

Geographically speaking:

从距离上看

The Ba-Shu region is closer to Chang'an than Lingnan.

巴蜀相比岭南离长安更近

In ancient times, when preservation technology was limited,

在保鲜技术有限的古代

Closer proximity meant that lychees were more likely to remain fresh.

距离近意味着荔枝能更大概率保持新鲜

The renowned modern historian and geographer Yan Gengwang

近代著名历史地理学家严耕望

In his A Study of Transportation Maps in the Tang Dynasty, he specifically analysed the origin of the lychees for the empress.

在《唐代交通图考》里专门分析贵妃荔枝来源

He concluded that they came from Fuling in Chongqing.

结论就是重庆涪陵   

Complete lychee transportation route map

Tips:

During his research on the history of lychee cultivation in Sichuan, Professor Lan Yong from the Institute of Historical Geography at Southwest University discovered the following:

西南大学历史地理研究所蓝勇教授对历史上四川荔枝种植考察发现：

During the Tang and Song dynasties, lychee cultivation was recorded in the river valleys south of the 31st parallel north, including the areas around Chengdu, Chongqing and Yibin. The four regions south of 30° north latitude — Yibin, Luzhou, Leshan and Fuling — had the highest yields and the best quality. The climate during the Tang dynasty was warmer than it is today, providing the necessary thermal conditions for large-scale lychee cultivation in the Sichuan basin.

唐宋时期，北纬31度以南的成都、重庆、宜宾等地的河谷地带均有荔枝种植记载，其中北纬30度以南的宜宾、泸州、乐山和涪陵四地产量最大，质量最好。唐代气候比当代温暖，这为荔枝在四川盆地大面积种植提供了热量条件 。

The truth about foodies: Only children make choices!

吃货真相：小孩才做选择！

Some scholars have suggested that the lychee supply in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty may have been a "combo deal."

有学者提出，唐朝长安的荔枝供应或许是“双拼套餐”

During the transition between spring and summer, lychees from Ba Shu took advantage of their geographical proximity

春夏之交，巴蜀荔枝凭借距离优势

To reach the market first, they were transported by water for faster delivery.

抢先上市，走水路加急运输

During the height of summer, late-ripening varieties from Lingnan took over.

而盛夏时节，岭南晚熟品种接力

These were rushed to the capital via official postal stations, with the riders staying the same but the horses being switched out.

通过官方驿站，换马不换人地狂奔至京城

For instance, Du Fu wrote in his poetry:

像杜甫就曾在诗作中提及

"Recalling the envoys from the South Sea, rushing to present lychees."

“忆昔南海使，奔腾献荔枝”

This suggests that lychees from Lingnan were offered as tribute.

表明有来自岭南的荔枝进贡

At the same time, historical records also document lychee tribute from Sichuan.

同时，也有文献记载显示巴蜀荔枝进贡的情况

Perhaps, then, the Empress Consort could enjoy lychees from different regions throughout the entire season.

所以，说不定贵妃一整个荔枝季，能吃到不同产地的美味

This thousand-year-long "lychee rivalry" reflects the ancient people's pursuit of culinary perfection.

这场千年“荔枝之争”，本质上体现了古人对美食的极致追求

Whether from Lingnan or Ba Shu,

不管是岭南还是巴蜀的荔枝

Lychees carried the romance and extravagance of the Tang Dynasty's golden age.

都承载着大唐盛世的浪漫与疯狂

When we peel open a chilled lychee,

当我们剥开一颗冰镇荔枝时， 

the translucent, jade-like flesh reflects China's thousand-year-old cultural and societal transformations. 

莹白如玉的果肉里映照的是中国社会千年变迁的文化滋味

The lychee that once brought a smile to the empress's face

那颗曾让贵妃展颜的荔枝

has ultimately become a summertime treat enjoyed by all.

最终成为每个人都能享受的夏日清甜

Have you eaten lychees today?

今天，你吃荔枝了吗？