It's also the season when lychees are concentrated in the market. The recent hit drama 'Litchi in Chang'an' vividly depicts the predicament of Li Shande, a Tang Dynasty official who worked tirelessly to calculate the route and time to transport fresh lychee into Chang'an, just to preserve that little bit of freshness. At that time, lychees were exclusive treasures of the nobles in Chang'an. Today, thanks to the efficient operation of modern cold chain logistics, Lingnan Jiaguo has been able to conveniently enter thousands of households. In major production areas such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, cold chain trucks directly reach orchards. Within one hour after picking, lychees are pre cooled at the "Tiantou Station" and then transported directly to the target city via the "Lychee Special Line" opened by air logistics. With the support of modern logistics systems such as the "Litchi Line", a lychee can be transported from a tree in Lingnan to a dining table in Xi'an in just 24 hours. Looking back at ancient times, there was also the "Litchi Special Line" - the historical "Litchi Road" with a total length of about 1062 kilometers. Even with the extreme relay of "changing horses without changing things" and the use of a large number of post horses and post soldiers, it takes 8 to 10 days to reach Chang'an, far exceeding the shelf life of lychee from 3 to 5 days. The difficulties faced by Li Shande in the drama are a microcosm of this historical reality: in order to extend the shelf life, primitive methods such as bamboo tube sealing and ice water storage had to be used, which were costly. Nowadays, the modern transportation system has completely revolutionized the transportation mode of lychee. The comprehensive high-speed rail network, efficient air cargo transportation, and intelligent temperature control technology have pushed the ability to lock "freshness" to new heights. Litchi has gone from being "fresh on the branches" to "sweet on the dining table", and has risen from being measured in "days" in ancient times to being measured in "hours", with a significantly reduced loss rate. The evolution of the "Litchi Special Line" from "Riding a Red Dust Concubine Smile" to "24-hour Speed Delivery" is a magnificent picture of technological innovation and a vivid epitome of the progress of the times. Supporting the journey of lychee is not only the change in transportation, but also the innovation in planting and storage. In Maoming, Guangdong, known as the "Lixiang" of China, researchers have utilized low-temperature cold storage and other facility agricultural technologies to conduct precise off-season cultivation research and application of dominant varieties such as "white sugar poppy" and "Feizixiao". By scientifically regulating key factors such as temperature, light, water and fertilizer, lychee trees have been successfully induced to bloom and bear fruits in non-traditional seasons, achieving "staggered listing", effectively extending the market supply period of fresh fruits, alleviating the price pressure of centralized listing, and significantly improving the income space of fruit farmers. In addition, the integrated preservation technology promoted in Maoming can extend the preservation period of some lychees from 6 days to 1 month. What is even more exciting is that the new agricultural technology will freeze freshly picked lychees to minus 18 degrees Celsius, allowing them to enter a "physiological frozen sleep" state with a shelf life of about 10 months, greatly expanding the radiation range of the industry chain. The ancient and modern changes of the "Litchi Express Line" demonstrate the professional and efficient modern logistics system. However, the current issues raised by fruit farmers, such as "express delivery being more expensive than fruit" and "higher express delivery fees for small fruit farmers," cannot be ignored. This year's lychee harvest is abundant, but the prices are generally low. The high shipping costs have doubled the pressure on many fruit farmers, especially small and medium-sized ones. Systematic measures are needed to address the concern of 'low fruit prices harming farmers'. We look forward to active coordination between the competent authorities and local governments to help scattered small and medium-sized fruit farmers connect with large e-commerce platforms and logistics enterprises, reduce logistics costs through economies of scale, and strive to achieve a win-win situation for fruit farmers, consumers, and the industry chain. (New Society)