What does litchi represent? How to choose litchi

Fresh lychees smell fresh and fragrant. The homophony and shape of the Chinese character for lychee make people often regard split lychees as a symbol of "good fortune". Generally, the ones with red and green lychees are of the best quality. Here is how to choose lychees when the lychee season comes.

Contents of this article

1. What does litchi represent?

2. How to choose lychees

3. How long can lychees be stored?

What does litchi represent?

Lychees represent health and longevity. Because lychees grow fast, have strong growth potential, and have a long life cycle, they are suitable for giving to elders. They look vibrant when they bear fruit, so they also represent good luck and can be given to friends. The bright red skin of lychees and the abundance of fruit during the fruiting period also represent wealth.

Because of the homophony and shape of the Chinese character “荔” (litchi), people often regard the cracked lychee as a symbol of “great benefits”, which is one of the reasons why painters often include lychees in their paintings.

The earliest document about litchi is "Shanglinfu" written by Sima Xiangru in the Western Han Dynasty. In the text, it is written as "lizhi", which means cutting off the branches. It turns out that the ancients have realized that this fruit cannot be separated from the branches and leaves. If the branches are cut off, the shelf life will be extended.

Litchi is distributed in southwest, south and southeast China, with Guangdong and southern Fujian being the most cultivated areas. It is also cultivated in southeast Asia, and there are records of its introduction to Africa, America and Oceania.

How to choose lychees

Choose lychees with some mottled colors, generally red and green ones are the best. Next, look at the scales on the lychee peel. If the scales are large and regular, then the taste of this lychee will be relatively good. Then feel the firmness of the lychee. If the flesh is firm and elastic, its texture is the best. When choosing lychees, choose those that smell fresh, as these lychees are relatively fresh.

If the lychee is green or white in color, it means that it is not ripe yet and it is not recommended to buy it.

If the shape and size of the lychees are uneven, and they have worm holes and obvious damage, the quality of these lychees will be slightly poor and they are not suitable for purchase.

The main varieties of litchi include Sanyuehong, Guiwei, Niumici, Yuanzhi, Heiye, Huaizhi, etc. Among them, Guiwei and Niumici are the varieties with the best taste.

How long can lychees be kept?

Lychees can be stored for 2-3 days at room temperature. It is not recommended to store them in the refrigerator. Because lychees are tropical fruits, tropical fruits will deteriorate faster at normal temperatures after being taken out of the refrigerator. When choosing lychees, try to choose fresh lychees with leaves.

The main varieties of litchi cultivated are Sanyuehong, Heiye, Guiwei, Huaizhi, Yuanhong, Gualü, Feizixiao, Baitangpeng, Niumici, etc. Among them, Gualü is a rare and hard-to-find variety, while Guiwei and Niumici are excellent varieties.

Lychee, banana, pineapple and longan are collectively known as the “Four Major Fruits of the South”.

Litchi is grown in the southwest, south and southeast of my country, with the largest number of plants grown in Guangdong and southern Fujian.