"A rider in the dust brings a smile to the imperial concubine's face; none know it's lychees that have arrived." Speaking of lychees, many people will think of the story of Yang Guifei, and there's a book called *The Lychees of Chang'an*, whose story originates from this tale. So what is *The Lychees of Chang'an* about? Here's the details:
What is the story behind the lychees of Chang'an?
"Lychees of Chang'an" is a historical novel written by Ma Boyong. It mainly tells the story of Li Shande, a minor official in Chang'an, who is framed by his superior and tasked with transporting fresh lychees from Lingnan before the birthday of Yang Guifei. The journey is more than 5,000 li and he encounters many hardships.
What precautions should be taken when transporting lychees over long distances?
1. Pay attention to the temperature.
Lychees need to be transported at a suitable temperature; temperatures that are too high or too low can damage the fruit. Generally, the ideal transport temperature is between 5℃ and 12℃.
2. Pay attention to humidity
Lychees have a high water content and are prone to moisture loss during transportation, causing the fruit to dry out. Therefore, appropriate moisture-retaining measures should be taken during long-distance transportation, such as adding ice , to maintain humidity at around 90%.
3. Proper packaging
Choose breathable packaging boxes or cartons to avoid over-sealing and hindering fruit respiration. When packaging, you can also add appropriate packaging materials and strengthen the supporting structure to enhance the packaging's shock and pressure resistance.
4. Transportation methods
Choose the appropriate mode of transportation based on your needs to reduce transportation time and distance. There are many methods, such as land transportation, sea transportation, and air transportation.
5. Avoid squeezing
Lychee skin is quite fragile and easily crushed, causing fruit quality loss. Crushing and collisions should be avoided as much as possible during transportation.
