In July,Licheng is surrounded by lush mountains and fragrant lychee trees.On July 19th,in the common expectation of 880000 Hejiang people,the 2024 Sichuan Ecotourism Event and the 33rd Hejiang Litchi Season were grandly opened in Hejiang,Sichuan,the hometown of late maturing lychee in China.

At the opening ceremony,Wang Bo,Secretary of the Communist Party of China Hejiang County Committee,delivered a welcome speech.In his speech,Wang Bo warmly welcomed the leaders and guests attending the opening ceremony,as well as the audience in front of the screen.He also extended sincere greetings and best wishes to the 880000 enthusiastic,kind,hardworking,and brave fellow villagers of Hejiang.Wang Bo said that lychee is the most profound nostalgic memory,the most vivid cultural symbol,and the most beautiful city card of Hejiang.Hejiang lychee has been passed down from the prosperous Han and Tang dynasties to the present day.For thousands of years,the ancient Salt Horse Road is vast,and the historical charm is intertwined with the Three Rivers surrounding it.The enclave climate at 28 degrees north latitude and the high-quality soil rich in selenium and zinc blend here,creating the unique quality of Hejiang lychee with rare late ripening and suitable fruit acid.Hejiang,founded in 115 BC,gathers popularity and accommodates hundreds of streams.Its land is like a butterfly and resembles a lung leaf.It is a lively and breathing land.Following the ancient"Litchi Ancient Road",we pursue the agility of water and the elegance of mountains.We sincerely invite guests and friends from all walks of life to visit Hejiang,celebrate the joy of harvest,share the sweetness of fruits,and seek a better future together!

In July of this year,the South Asian Tropical Crop Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Litchi and Longan Industry Technology System came to Hejiang for on-site inspection and demonstration,and identified Hejiang as the"World Late maturing Litchi Advantageous Regional Center".At the opening ceremony,Li Hongli,Deputy Chief Expert of the National Litchi and Longan Industry Technology System,read out the demonstration opinions;Hu Qiang,a counselor of the Sichuan Provincial Government and a second level inspector of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,awarded the plaque to Lijiang Town,known as the"First Town of Late maturing Litchi in China";Chen Jingqiang,Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Luzhou City,and Liu Xuqing,Vice Chairman of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference,presented plaques to representatives of"Lixiang Qiansu"homestays such as Xianshi Soy Sauce Chishui River Manor,Chen Family Courtyard,Longguashan and Banshan Yunshe;The County Education and Sports Bureau presented the student representatives with the"Licheng Sauce Fragrance·Accompanying Your Growth"public welfare activity publicity envoy certificate and soy sauce donation card.

Hu Qiang,counselor of the Sichuan Provincial Government and second level inspector of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,Liu Xue,second level inspector of the Provincial Department of Commerce,Xu Li,member of the Standing Committee of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee and Minister of Propaganda,Chen Jingqiang,Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress,Ge Hongliang,Deputy Mayor of the Municipal People's Government,Liu Xuqing,Vice Chairman of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference,and Wang Bo,Secretary of the Hejiang County Committee,jointly took the stage to launch the Hejiang Litchi Season.Xu Li announced the opening of the Hejiang Litchi Season.

At the opening ceremony,a variety of song and dance performances such as"The Wonderful Journey of the Little Pen Holder","Tang Li",and"Poetry and Ode to Hejiang"were presented,bringing a unique audio-visual feast to the audience.The rap program"I am from Hejiang,I Love Hejiang"further elevated the atmosphere to a climax,with thousands of people gathering at the Litchi Culture Square to express the love of Hejiang people for their hometown.

Hejiang lychee was deeply loved by the officials and nobles of various dynasties,and was listed as a tribute before the Tang Dynasty.The Southern Song Dynasty's Luo Da Jing's"Helin Yulu"records:"During the Ming Dynasty,those who'rode a red dust concubine to laugh'were said to be produced in the Lu Rong region."This shows that the lychee that was urgently transported 800 miles to Chang'an and delivered to Yang Guifei in Du Mu's poem was produced in the Lu Rong region of Bashu.In recent years,Hejiang County has leveraged"lychee"as a medium to promote high-quality economic and social development.It has built one national level lychee demonstration park,four lychee industry towns and streets with an area of over 10000 acres,one five-star modern agricultural park in the province,and one lychee germplasm resource garden.There are currently more than 70 varieties,mainly promoting 12 excellent varieties such as Dahongpao,Feizixiao,Jiangshalan,Jinggang Hongnuo,Hongmilia,Xianjinfeng,Hongxianqiu,Dailv,Nanmuye,Tuoti,Guanyin Green,and Maguili,which are also known as the"Twelve Golden Hairpins of Hejiang Lychee".

Hejiang is known as the"hometown of late maturing lychee in China"and is the most inland,northernmost,and late maturing lychee concentrated production area in the country.Hejiang lychee has a cultivation history of nearly two thousand years.Due to its unique geographical location and climate environment,Hejiang lychee has been able to ripen late,giving it a unique quality and flavor.It has the characteristics of sour and sweet taste,delicate residue,large and small core,thick and juicy flesh,and enjoys the reputation of"Chinese treasure and queen of fruits".As of now,it has won the"Chinese Famous Fruit","China International Forestry Expo Gold Award","Silver Award of the 2nd Western China International Agricultural Expo","First Prize of the Olympic Fruit Competition","Top Ten Excellent Heterogeneous Germplasm Resources in China","Sichuan Province".59 honors including"Famous Agricultural Products","Sichuan Province High Quality Fruits","Sichuan Famous Specialties",etc,In 2008,it successfully entered the Beijing Olympics for athletes from all over the world to taste,and was the only fresh fruit from Sichuan to be sent to the Beijing Olympics.It made another appearance at the 31st Summer Universiade in 2023,attracting many Chinese and foreign friends to stop and taste.In addition,the"Hejiang Litchi"brand has been awarded the titles of"Top 50 Chinese Fruit Regional Public Brands","Top 100 National Green Development Landmark Brands in the Fruit and Vegetable Industry",and"Top 10 National Fruit Landmark Brands".In 2015,the planting area of lychee in Hejiang reached 306000 mu.Currently,the production area of lychee has exceeded 70%.In 2023,the output will be 38 million kilograms and the output value will be 2.45 billion yuan,accounting for more than 90%of the province's total output value.It is expected that the output will reach 50 million kilograms by 2024.With the support of cold chain technology,more and more e-commerce platforms have joined the lychee sales team.Tens of thousands of lychee have gone out of Sichuan,to the whole country,and to the world.Hejiang lychee has become a characteristic industry that helps local people increase their income and promote comprehensive rural revitalization.(Liu Jun)