Deqing Mandarin and Magpie Lychee

Deqing Mandarin and Magpie Lychee

　　The Mandarin and Magpie Lychee is a premium fruit variety with a long history dating back to the Qing Dynasty. The lychees from Xiecun Village in Guanxu Town, Deqing County, have long been renowned across the province, Hong Kong, and Macau for their unique shape and sweet, refreshing taste.

　　The Mandarin and Magpie Lychee is considered the finest among lychees. When the fruit matures, a distinct boundary line appears among the skin particles, displaying a red hue tinged with green. The flesh is crystal-clear, does not drip juice, and boasts a sweet and delicious flavor. It has a high rate of shriveled seeds and carries the fragrance of osmanthus. Moreover, most fruits grow with a smaller companion fruit attached, creating a large-small “mandarin and magpie” pairing—hence the name Mandarin and Magpie Lychee.

　　The Mandarin and Magpie Lychee is a branded fruit of Guanxu Town. Its quality has been authenticated and highly praised by experts and professors from prestigious provincial universities. In 1992, it won the Award for Superior Products at the first China Agricultural Expo for tropical fruit products, and in 1999, it received the Award for Excellent Products at the first Guangdong Youth “Three Highs” Agriculture Expo. Clearly, the Mandarin and Magpie Lychee lives up to its reputation.

　　In 1995, the Mandarin and Magpie Lychee was included as a supported development project under the “One Village, One Product” initiative through a provincial people's congress motion. After several years of development, the planting area of Mandarin and Magpie Lychees in Guanxu Town reached 6,800 mu, of which 3,000 mu were in production, yielding an annual output of 150 tons. In 1999, Guanxu Town also established a nursery to supply high-quality seedlings to growers across the region.

　　The fruit matures from late June to early July. The fruits are uniform in size, with bright red skin tinged with green. The skin particles are distinct, the peel is thin yet tough, and the fruit stores well. The flesh is thick, crystal-clear, does not drip juice, and has no fibrous texture. The seeds are small, mostly shriveled. The aroma is fragrant, richly honey-like, and distinctly scented with osmanthus. The taste is sweet, crisp, and refreshing without being cloying—clean, natural, and leaving a lingering fragrance. According to tests by the Fruit Tree Research Institute of the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences: the shriveled seed rate exceeds 96%, the edible rate is 79%, and the soluble solid content is 19.21%. Currently, the planted area of Mandarin and Magpie Lychees is 3,000 mu, with an estimated total output of 750 tons this year, and a selling price of 20–25 yuan per kilogram.