Lychee: Concubine's Smile and Jade Purse

In China, there's a lychee variety called Feizi Xiao (Concubine's Smile), supposedly Yang Guifei's favorite. With small pits and a subtle tartness that cuts through the sweetness, it closely resembles Taiwan's prized Yuherbao (Jade Purse) variety. Yuherbao measures 19°Brix on the sweetness scale, with flesh white as jade and shaped like a small purse—hence the name.

This premium Taiwanese lychee is the island's export star, even finding its way into French cuisine. Primarily grown in Kaohsiung's Dashu district, these lychees no longer require horses dying in mountain passes for delivery—they fly. After pre-flight quarantine and pest treatment, they can fetch NT$400 per catty.

Poets and Literati Eulogize Lychees

Lychees are summer fruits, with Black Leaf (Hei Ye) comprising 70% of production and Yuherbao making up 20%. Other varieties include Yan Li and Nuomici lychee. Some connoisseurs argue that Nuomici, reaching 20°Brix, is the ultimate variety.

As a member of the soapberry family, lychees have deep literary roots. Over two millennia ago, Western Han writer Sima Xiangru featured them in his Rhapsody on the Shanglin Park. Beyond the fruit, lychee wood's dense grain makes it ideal for landscaping, street trees, and premium construction materials. This versatile crop generates approximately NT$5 billion in annual value across its many applications.

Lychees offer sweet, succulent flesh rich in vitamin C and potassium. Beyond the fruit, both pits and peels serve medicinal purposes, while the blossoms yield the renowned lychee honey. The distinctive lychee wine has garnered a devoted following among wine enthusiasts.

Taiwan's lychees excel in international markets, with Japan as the largest export destination and New Zealand rapidly emerging as the second. Celebrated globally for their sweetness and superior quality, Taiwanese lychees are in such high demand that domestic consumers increasingly struggle to find them in local markets—a victim of their own export success.