The Litchi Road (2025)

A kingdom for a concubine's smile.

Adapted from Ma Boyong's novel of the same name, The Litchi Road is a biting satire of a besotted old man's folly; an emperor who squanders a kingdom for a concubine's smile. Set during the twilight years of Xuanzong's reign, it is about Yang Guifei's well known love for lychees. To mark her birthday, he orders fresh lychees ferried 2,500 miles from Lingnan to Chang’an—a fool’s errand, as the delicate fruit spoils within days, dooming the 5,000 li journey.

Enter Li Shande, a humble Shanglin Bureau official, gifted in mathematics, poetry, and botany but too scrupulous and apolitical to climb the ruthless Tang bureaucracy. He’s the perfect patsy, duped into the role of “Litchi Envoy” for this impossible mission. Written with dark humor and irony, Li’s stoic resolve—“I wish to live”—resonates with powerless commoners who rally to his cause, aiding his experiments in preservation and test runs. They are aided by merchants who see a profit opportunity in an ancient cold chain logistics network that transports this prized fruit inland to Chang'an and beyond. Yet bureaucratic hurdles and corrupt officials thwart them at every turn. The narrative sharply critiques imperial excess and elite callousness while quietly celebrating the “ants”—individually inconsequential people whose collective efforts achieve the unthinkable.

Zheng Ping’an’s parallel espionage arc, clearly not Ma Boyong’s creation, feels extraneous, though Yue Yunpeng’s comedic flair—obsequious groveling masking seething resentment—adds humor and depth to Li Shande and Xiu’er’s characters. His grudging aid, driven by his affection for Xiu’er, is touching, but a sharper writer might have made his plot arc more relevant and ended his and Gouér's journey in a more fitting way. Lei Jiayin shines as Li Shande, a relatable and at times frustrating anti-hero; a well-intentioned person who makes promises he can't keep and whose forbearance is ultimately exhausted by the iniquity around him.

Fans of Longest Day in Chang’an will spot familiar faces in new roles, with similar aesthetics and themes as this story unfolds over a dozen years later. The emperor, still smitten with Yang Guifei, balances power between the Left and Right Chancellors. The prose sparkles with wit, weaving classical phrases, puns, and Li Bai’s poetry for layered meaning. Lingnan’s sun-drenched palette and tropical costumes showcase the vastness and diversity of Great Tang. While Longest Day is a higher budget and more polished production, Litchi Road is a more fun watch. The sharp social commentary and heavy profound moments are balanced by levity and memorable hilarious scenes—like the uproarious, very 1990s cockfight (no animals harmed) that had me in stitches.

The ensemble, villains included, earns applause. He Youguang, the petty tyrant, and his scheming secretary Zhao Xinmin deliver comic gold, their fowl play both hilarious and menacing. The evolution of the ancient cold chain, aided by foreign merchants’ spice-transport methods, fascinates, while diverse characters add exotic richness. Amita’s strory ends abruptly, likely due to actor Nashi’s controversy, which taints the drama’s reception. However she landed the role or got where she is today, Nashi's acting is solid; far better than many popular leading actresses. Her look is so stunning and exotic it is hard to imagine anyone else pulling off Amita with that kind of boldness and flair.

The finale takes an odd turn, flirting with supernatural elements before winking at its own fictionality—an acceptable, if imperfect, close. The recurring “bad things happen to good people” theme feels realistic but heavy, with two gratuitous deaths and undeserved outcomes (good and bad) for many. Still, many bad guys fall, the good guys score a small but significant victory, and and fresh litchis are enjoyed by the story's true beauty in a poignant reunion. Despite a strong start, it misses a 9.0 but earns an enthusiastic 8.5/10.0.

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Love the family line!

I cried so hard when Li Shande reunited with his daughter. It’s been a long time since a family storyline moved me like this. 🥹 Every tear was worth it. The emotional buildup was so natural—there were no over-the-top monologues, just raw, quiet pain and love. You could feel everything in their eyes and silences.

But beyond the touching father-daughter bond, I also really enjoyed the journey of delivering the lychees. It was unexpectedly intense and full of challenges. Who knew delivering fruit in ancient times could be such a dangerous, emotional ride? It gave me a whole new respect for ancient “working people”—they really had it tough!

The costumes are absolutely beautiful and full of historical detail, and the cinematography is stunning. Each shot feels carefully crafted, and the pacing keeps you hooked from start to finish. I didn’t expect to get this invested, but now I’m fully in.

Highly recommend it to anyone who loves stories that touch the heart while keeping you on the edge of your seat.

I watched it on Kukan Drama’s YouTube channel, so glad I found it there!

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Started Strong

Although a very different plot, this has the same essence as The Longest Day In Chang'an and not surprisingly, it turns out they both had the same director. Unfortunately, they both also have similar flaws with how they wrap up the ending.

A few episodes in and I was hyped about the fantastic dialogue and actors. It has become very rare to come across series that actually has you intellectually stimulated where you feel the need to hang onto every word. The Litchi Road starts off very strong in the first 1/3 of episodes with a very natural plot flow and great introduction of multiple characters. The 2/3 of episodes is when it started to waver just a tad with slightly choppier shifts between different scenes. And the final third of the episodes (particularly when Eunuch Yu enters the plot) is when it really starts to descend into the abyss. Almost as if a completely different director stepped in and was pressured to just complete it, one way or another.

It is really quite aggravating because there are so many things done well. The charisma between the actors, the main plot, the costumes, the background, the subtle humor, and most importantly, the naturalness of the dialogues. But when the plot starts to lose its way toward the end, so did the charm of our main character, Li Shan De. While he's portrayed as a kind and honest man, he doesn't have much character growth at all throughout all his ordeals. It's one thing to stick to your nature and beliefs but it's another to stay ignorant to the harm it causes those around you. He ends up being another one of the individuals who selfishly wants (with good intentions), would never survive or succeed without having the heavy support of those willing to do the dirty work behind the scenes, but would irritatingly judge those who aren't as righteous and honest as himself.

Another flaw with the plot is how they halfheartedly highlighted those who sacrificed themselves. It was done so poorly that they shouldn't have even tried. There was a really good buildup of relationship developments between the characters and they did a pretty good job with highlighting the history and background of many, but then these same characters would just suddenly be written out of the story altogether. And man, what they did with his brother was just completely absurd because he was a fantastic character.

Nevertheless, compared to many other series that focuses on distracting us with over-dramatizations, long-winded romantic triangles, and other fluff, this one was still good enough for me to write a longer than usual review lamenting about how they completed it.

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behold my #1 drama of 2025

this historical gem is based on Ma Boyong’s 2021 novel Lychees of Chang'an and, in an unusual twist, had both a film and drama adaptation released in the same year.

the basic premise is familiar: a ticking clock, with the protagonist having to deliver fresh litchis from Lingnan to Chang’an, a journey of over 1,000 miles, for the birthday of the emperor’s favourite concubine. the details of this story are largely unfamiliar but as each new character and landscape is introduced, they settle comfortably into the narrative framework so that by the end, it feels that we have known them for a long time.

the cast is led by Lei Jiayin as Li Shande, a socially awkward official who is conned by his colleagues into taking on a task that every department knows is impossible and an effective death sentence for whoever ends up with it. Lei Jiayin brings us a neurodivergent-coded, gently obsessive person with occasional flashes of frustration that were deeply human and believable.

I’d also call out veteran Feng Jiayi for his portrayal of a conniving, transactional rural official who does not balk at discarding even his closest associates when they are no longer of use; and Nashi, with vivid and colourful visuals which contrast with the restrained exterior and emotional core of Amita, the leader of the Lingnan trader branch. I cannot praise these actors and the rest of the cast enough for bringing their characters so solidly to life and allowing us to truly appreciate how this journey unfolds without distraction.

the costumes, cinematography and art direction were bold and colourful and although some critics have some negative commentary on this, personally I have nothing but compliments. the overall look of the series is beautiful, and the choices appear intentional and designed with care even if at first glance they may appear wild. I was enthralled and more than once found myself hitting rewind either to admire or screenshot a particular frame.

a particular moment of outré comedy in episode 7 was the catalyst to take this unfolding story from likeable to something I was unashamed to admit that I loved. there were a few other bizarre moments sprinkled throughout, with enough restraint so as not to become tiresome. the closing credits contained various songs in an eclectic rotation, including Liu Yuning’s thoroughly entertaining 逍遥仙 (Carefree Immortal).

the last few episodes suffered from some slipshod editing, which appears to be the result of last-minute changes after the drama had started airing. while this was noticeable, the drama had built up so much credit with me that I was hesitant to downgrade its rating. taking a leaf from Li Shande’s logical brain, I simply reallocate the bonus point accrued from the first three-quarters to that last section, and give it full marks.

in short, this is a drama about ordinary people and how they survive within systems designed for rulers and wealth. it's a deeply human story and a strong recommend for anyone interested in non-idol historical C-dramas or the many stories of Ma Boyong.

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How Fresh Litchi Turned Stale

It was one of the rare realistic Chinese dramas I've watched recently. I really liked it. It had some flaws, but they didn't affect the overall effect. Some of the actors also had weak roles. Apart from that, I was very impressed by the realistic and immersive exploration of the events surrounding the fresh litchi shipment, the detailed portrayal of the characters, the perfect reflection of the bureaucratic and hierarchical structure of the time, the oppression of the people by the authorities of the time, bribery, extortion, extortion, a concubine's demands for impossible things, the slightest touch of romance and family relations, the portrayal of trade and related services, the conflicts there, and the revenge. It's an adaptation of a novel. I congratulate the writer and director. They conveyed it beautifully. I also commend the writer's writing. I especially liked the lead actor, Lei Jia Yin. She played her true self. It's hard to act this realistically. She was that good. Congratulations. Also, Yue Yun Peng was great. Well done. GOng Lei was great. Well done. Feng Jia Yi was fantastic. Well done. Lu Liang portrayed a knowledgeable, experienced merchant beautifully. Well done. Our girl Li Luo Yi, who played Xu Er, was very good. Kun Yu was also very good. I really liked it. Especially in the final scenes of the last episode, her death scene with Yun Peng made me cry. Lu Fang Cheng was very good. It really angered me. I liked Zhou Mei Jun. Shawn Dou added color. He was charismatic. Zhang Tian Ai played beautifully. Beautiful portrayal. Well done. Nashi was very different. A different actor. I noticed the difference. Vivienne Tien also suited the role very well. Congratulations. I liked all the other actors. As I said, there were minor flaws, but with such a large number of actors, there's excitement. Overall, I watched a very realistic, constructive, and exemplary series, and I really liked it. I recommend it to those who haven't watched it.

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This drama is brilliant! also terribly slow and repetitive, and I dropped it twice but then started it again, because it's funny, ultra-creative and depicts a beautiful friendship and father-daughter bond.

The main character Li Shande is the innocent archetype - seeing no evil, hearing no lies and oozing naivete. This makes him a perfect hero for the comedy of errors that opens the drama, resulting in saddling him with the impossible task of transporting fresh litchis over the distance of 2,500km. His earnestness is both touching and hilarious, it’s both his armour and ultimate weapon against the sea of schemers surrounding him. But the problem with archetypes is that they can’t learn and change their behaviour, because then they stop being who they are and the story stops being an allegory. In keeping with satire, most of the characters in this drama are larger than life, purposefully written to highlight certain traits, so even though I got frustrated by the lack of character development, I did understand they were the victims of the plot. Still, watching Li Shande get into the same kind of trouble again and again (with the same result) made me feel like the plot was spinning in circles and wore my patience thin. It’s hard to keep rooting for someone like that over the course of so many episodes. Frankly, I would’ve cut the entire reenactment of the Asterix vs. ancient Rome bureaucracy in Changan. That arc brought nothing new to the story and didn’t have a single memorable character. What I did like was that the opening of every episode featured a short story from the life of Li Shande or another character, showing us how life events shaped them into who they are in the present.

The whole drama is structured like a morality tale with elements of magical realism that may not be to everyone’s taste. It relies heavily on exaggeration. I absolutely loved the gallows humour in the early episodes (*knock, knock* I’m dead!:D). I loved the vibrancy of Lingnan with its lush nature, a crowd of wacky personas and cockfights performed by live actors;), juxtaposed with the lifenessness of Changan and its uniform, petty officials. The visual layer highlights this beautifully with the rich, hyper-saturated colors (going beyond realism) in the South vs. muted hues in the North. I do think they went too far in some scenes bringing in modern elements that broke my immersion, e.g., actors giving each other thumbs up, barely keeping a straight face or outright laughing. Also, the music at times was as subtle as a gong to the head, forcing emotional reactions.
To sum up, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there can be too much of a good thing. As much as I loved all the touching human stories, political satire and wacky humour, it made the plot feel directionless for long episodes and tired me out to the point I needed a four month break before finishing the drama.

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China Got Talentssss!

First and foremost, I have to commend the sheer professionalism of the cast in The Litchi Road. I only just started watching it, yet it is already very clear that this drama brings together a truly impressive pool of talent. From the veterans to the younger actors, everyone is carrying their role with remarkable skill and conviction. Each character feels lived-in and authentic, and you can tell that the casting team chose carefully.

Another thing that stands out is how realistic the entire production feels. This is not the kind of drama that hides behind layers of makeup, overly polished costumes, or picture-perfect imagery. Instead, it gives us a cast of mature men and women who look like real people. You see men with beards, people with a touch of sweat or even a stain on their face—details that are often avoided in other series. And rather than diminishing the beauty of the show, these touches enhance it, making the world more believable. It feels refreshing when compared to some teen dramas where characters can run a mile and still look as though they just stepped out of a photo shoot.

The dialogue, too, deserves praise. The conversations are natural, not forced, and the delivery by the actors makes it even more engaging. There is an honesty and weight to the way they speak, which pulls you into the story without you even realizing it. That, combined with a storyline that grips your attention from the start, makes this drama stand out from many others in its category.

Of course, I’m still at the beginning, but if what I’ve seen so far is any indication, the journey ahead is going to be both exciting and rewarding. I genuinely hope the quality remains consistent and that it only gets better with each episode.

I would also encourage viewers not to be discouraged by the ratings. In my opinion, the low numbers are likely coming from audiences who are more inclined toward lighthearted teen dramas with heavy makeup and surface-level glamour. The Litchi Road offers something different—something richer and more grounded. For those who appreciate strong performances, realism, and an engaging story, this drama is definitely worth watching.

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