The Lychee Road

Set in the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty, The Lychee Road follows Li Shande, a minor Chang'an official who is handed a nearly impossible errand. He must fetch pristine lychees from Lingnan, a distance that unsettles the rhythm of life and politics. Lychees spoil within days after detaching from the tree, and Lingnan lies more than five thousand miles away from the capital. Yet Li Shande is driven by a deeply personal motive, the well being of his wife and daughter at home. Across a landscape of manners, weather and bureaucratic twists, he clings to hope and resolves to try. Along the way he negotiates with traders, faces bureaucratic red tape, and witnesses contrasts between Chang'an and Lingnan.

Released in 2025, The Lychee Road is directed by Dong Chengpeng. The project brings together creator talents Ma Boyong, Yuyue Shen and Si'ao Dai, blending drama history and comedy with a distinctly Chinese sensibility.

Its worldwide gross stands at approximately $86,734,269, a healthy figure that signals broad audience appeal across regional markets, and demonstrates the financial viability of genre blending in contemporary Chinese cinema.

Critics praise its warm portrayal of a bureaucrat who balances duty and family within a colorful Tang world, mixing humor with social observation. The film treats distance and time as tests of character, not just plot twists.