Transcript:

This year's lychees are particularly precious, with production reduced by nearly half that of previous years. That also makes them more expensive. Lychee traders and fruit farmers have to work harder to sell the fruit. A smoother network has just eased their anxiety. Our reporter Liu Jiaxin witnesses the challenges faced by lychees this year in Zengcheng District of Guangzhou, and sees the hope that technology has brought to fruit farmers.

The lychees are more than ready. 

"Have a taste, will you?"

"Wow, thank you! What kind is this?"

"This is Feizixiao. It's sweet."

LIU JIAXIN Zengcheng District, Guangzhou "Definitely. The sweetness is in the air. I caught almost the end of the lychee picking season. Only a few varieties are hanging on the branches. Clearly farmers are picking 'Feizixiao', a variety that's even coveted by the ancient imperial concubines. Now it's readily available in this orchard."

Over 600 lychee species are grown around the world. China, as the birthplace of lychees, produces more than 300 varieties, and more than 20 editions are commonly seen on the market. These few numbers alone are dazzling enough, not after I learned that a lychee called "Zengcheng Gualv" actually holds a world record. 

WU YANFEN Interpreter of Zengcheng Litchi Museum "In 2002, a single lychee was auctioned for 555,000 yuan (more than 76000 dollars) breaking the Guinness World Record. Right. Not a tree, a single lychee."

Thank goodness it is not the market price, but at least it shows the status of this fruit in people's minds. Looking at the information about different varieties in the museum, I was curious, why I can't see them in a lychee orchard? 

Extreme weather events like heavy rains and hail have caused the overall production of the fruit to drop by nearly 50% this year, and some late-ripening varieties have even reduced production by 70%.

YIN YAOCHENG Online Marketer, Donglin Orchard "What does a reduced production mean? It means it harms the supply, and the price rises a lot. But we cannot predict how much price hike consumers can accept."

Yin Yaocheng grew up in a town surrounded by lychee trees. He is in charge of online marketing of lychees in his hometown. Unlike most e-commerce sellers who sit in a fixed position, he likes to walk in the fields and share the scenes. One of the favorable conditions that supports his long-term uninterrupted live streaming is the 5G network and enhanced signal in this area. 

YIN YAOCHENG Online Marketer, Donglin Orchard "In the past, if the broadcast got stuck, only a few people would be left out of 50 or 60 people watching your livestream. But now this situation can be avoided, the picture is clearer and more stable."

WANG LIANG Deputy General Manager, Guangdong Unicom Product Innovation Center "The upload speed of ordinary 5G cards is about 100 megabits, and the upload speed of our live broadcast cards reaches 200 megabits. We are now using the latest 5G-Advance network with an upload speed of up to 500 megabits."

Watching e-commerce sellers for a while, I have learned some patterns.

LIU JIAXIN Zengcheng District, Guangzhou "Ladies and gentleman, today let me show you Zengcheng Litchi. There's poem saying: a horseman rides in dust, and a concubine smiles, no one knows it is litchi coming. In my livestream today, no 9 dollars, not 8 dollars, not even 7 dollars. Only 5 dollars! A full box of it, direct to your home. Three, two, one, get in the line!"

That's just a practice, no actual deal was made. In fact, this method is outdated. Good marketing doesn't have to speak loud, consumers will spread the word. 

DIGBY JAMES WREN Advisor to the President of Royal Academy of Cambodia "I've eaten a lot of lychees, but these are the best ones I've ever had. And the lady over there just said to me the ones I've been eating are at 200 dollars a kilo. And they have a special edition this year for 500 dollars a kilo, specially packaged. If anybody's out there, try to get them now because they are gonna go really fast."

Reporter: "You are gonna make a perfect online marketer, you know that?"

LEE BARRETT Content Creator "Lychee is not really well known in the UK, but it should be. Because it's probably one of my favorite fruits. I think strawberry for me just tops it but lychee is definitely there in the second place and I just can't believe how sweet and juicy these are, you know, how much fresher can you get straight from the tree in mouth. It is amazing."

As a television professional, I may not be able to broadcast better pictures with pro equipment than farmers using their mobile phones. This is the empowerment that faster and more popular internet brings to rural areas. Somewhere in the air, the constantly enhanced signals have become new agricultural tools.

Liu Jiaxin, CGTN, Guangzhou.

Source: CGTN
Editor: Lyu Yun