The Lychee Road
| The Lychee Road | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Da Peng |
| Produced by | Yaping Li |
| Written by | |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Jinyan Zhai |
| Cinematography | Boxue Wang |
| Edited by |
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Production company |
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| Distributed by | Shaw Organisation |
Release date |
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Running time | 122 minutes[1] |
| Language | Chinese |
| Box office | $31.7 million USD (as of July 21, 2025)[2] |
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Chang'an De Li Zhi (Chinese: 长安的荔枝), The Lychee Road, or The Litchi Road is a historical drama directed by Da Peng and first released on the 12th of July, 2025 in China. It is based on the original novel, Lychees of Chang'an, written by Ma Boyong, and also has some similarities to the television series under the same name.
Plot
Set during the Tianbao era of the Tang dynasty, the story follows Li Shande, a minor official in Chang’an, who is unwittingly assigned the impossible task of delivering fresh lychees from Lingnan to Chang’an for Yang Guifei’s birthday, roughly 2,000 km away. At first, he celebrates the opportunity — until he discovers the word “preserved” on his edict was glued on, hiding the real demand: “fresh.” Knowing lychees rot in three days, he tries to refuse, but it’s too late. Fearing for his family, he fails to divorce his wife and instead departs quickly.
In Lingnan, Li Shande seeks help from He Qiguang, the local commissioner, but is beaten and given a slave instead. He meets Su Liang, a Persian merchant, and experiments with methods to preserve lychees, discovering they can last only a few days even under the best conditions. With no choice, he devises a plan using double-layered jars and a relay system combining land and river routes. However, all test runs fail.
He returns to Chang’an to request funding, but is turned away by every bureau. Finally, Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong grants him a golden token, a seal of absolute authority. Li Shande mobilises government resources, utilises ice boats, and establishes an empire-wide relay system. Yet upon returning to Lingnan, he finds the villagers distressed about the government cutting 200 lychee trees, not the planned 20.
As the shipment begins, early relays succeed, but midway, they discover the relay stations abandoned. With no other option, Li Shande and a few assistants push forward manually. Horses collapse, supplies run low, and the journey grows dire. At the final river dock, Su Liang reappears, saving the mission with his ship.
Approaching Chang’an, assassins ambush the group. Traps and fire bombs destroy most of the convoy. The slave sacrifices himself to save Li Shande during a desperate cliffside fight. With one last lychee jar, Li Shande escapes on horseback and charges through the flames.
At evening, Li Shande gallops into Chang’an as flowers requested by his wife scatter from his bag. His family cheers as he delivers the lychees to the palace just in time for Yang Guifei’s birthday.
Later, he confronts Yang Guozhong about the mission’s true cost. Guozhong assaults him, but Gao Lishi intervenes, awarding Li Shande green plums, sparing his life. However, for failing to deliver the full quota, he and his family are exiled to Lingnan.
In exile, Li Shande learns Chang’an has fallen to An Lushan. He breaks down, grieving all he gave up. His wife comforts him with a new wine — a final, quiet moment of peace after a journey of impossible odds.
Cast
- Da Peng as Li Shande, the protagonist of the story that serves as a low-rank minister in Chang'an.[3]
- White-K as Su Liang, a prosperous Persian merchant who helps Li Shande throughout the story.[3]
- Xun Wang as Liu Shuling, Li Shande's boss in his bureau who mistreats him often.[3]
- Dafei Zhuang as A-Tong, a girl who cultivates and maintains a lychee garden made by her parents.[3]
- Chun-Him Lau as Lin Yinu, a slave who loyally follows Li Shande around after experiencing his kindness.[3]
- Suet Lam as He Qiguang, the commissioner of Lingnan who initially wishes to frame Li Shande.[3]
- Sunny Sun as Zhaon Xinmin, He Qiguang's subordinate.[3]
- Andy Lau as Yang Guozhong, the Right Chancellor that supports Li Shande while hiding his corruption.[3]
Additional Cast
- Da Bing
- Yuan Chang as Chao Yusi[3]
- Hang Fu as Bai[3]
- Chao Liang
- Zhi Liang
- Yang Liu
- Marberionius
- Miao Ruopeng
- Xiaobao Song as Song Tiangang[3]
- Yue Sun
- Zhe Teng
- Monan Tong
- Yilong Wang
- Yutian Wang
- Zichen Wang
- Xiang Wei as Su Yuan[3]
- Feng Yan
- Peilun Yan
- Mi Yang as Zheng Yuting[3]
- Yunhe Yi
- Ruoyun Zhang as Du Shaoling[3]
- Jia Zhang-ke
Release
The Lychee Road was initially released fully in China on the 18th of July, 2025.[4] Later, it was released in Australia on the 24th of July[5], the United States limitedly on 25th of July, Singapore on 31st of July, and Hong Kong on the 7th of August 2025.[4] The movie has multiple titles that it can be known by, such as Chang'an De Li Zhi (Pinyin form of the Chinese title, 长安的荔枝), and The Litchi Road.[4] It is rated M (mature) in Australia[5] due to mature themes and violence.[6]
Reception
After being released, "China’s box office surged over the July 18–20 weekend"[2] and dominated the leaderboard. Some people critique the movie as being able to resonate with modern youth in the workplace as it blended "historical legend with modern workplace satire and relatable personal struggles."[7]
Ma Boyang, the original author of the novel Lychees of Chang'an attended the premiere and praised the film as "more layered and emotionally resonant" than his novel.[7]
See Also
Lychees of Chang'an, the original novel that the movie was based on by Ma Boyong.[8][4][9]
References
- ↑ "The Lychee Road". www.eventcinemas.com.au. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "China Box Office: 'The Lychee Road' at No. 1 as Local Films Rule". variety.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 The Lychee Road (2025) - Full cast & crew - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-07-29 – via www.imdb.com.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Lychee Road (2025) - Release info - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-07-28 – via www.imdb.com.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Lychee Road (Mandarin, Eng Sub) | HOYTS Cinemas". www.hoyts.com.au. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ "The Lychee Road | Movie session times & tickets in Australian cinemas | Flicks". Flicks.com.au. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "'The Lychee Road' movie resonates with modern youth - China.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ "The Lychee Road | Palace Nova". www.palacenova.com.au. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ "The Lychee Road (2025) Tickets & Showtimes". Fandango. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
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