After finishing The Lychee Road in one sitting, I felt a surge of emotion that left me restless. The book opens with lines from a Tang Dynasty poet: “A steed that raised red dust won the fair mistress’ smiles; no one knows it's ly‐chee that is coming.” Ma Boyong, the author, vividly depicts the thrilling and perilous journey of transporting fresh lychees by Li Shande, a mi‐nor official. The story captivates me with the struggles and moral dilemmas faced by ordinary individuals against the backdrop of history.
Li Shande, a low-ranking official skilled in numbers but inexperienced in the intricacies of officialdom, aspired to work hard and settle in Chang’an, the Tang Dynasty capital. How‐ever, fate conspired against him, and his col‐leagues assigned him the “impossible task” of transporting fresh lychees from their plantation to Chang'an. Lychee, a fruit that cannot stay fresh for long, loses its color in one day, its fra‐grance in two days, and its taste in three. Addi‐tionally, the plantation in Southern China is about 2, 500 kilometers away from Chang’an, making the task virtually unattainable. Yet, for the sake of his family, he decided to take the risk.
Determined, he traveled to the plantation to conduct research. Through countless experi‐ments with various lychee species, storage meth‐ods, containers, and shipping routes, he devel‐oped a feasible transportation plan through pre‐cise calculations. This inspired me to see that, in difficult situations, one can achieve break‐throughs in seemingly impossible tasks with pro‐fessional knowledge, determination, and innova‐tion.
During this process, Li Shande encoun‐tered the more sinister aspects of bureaucracy. Officials at all levels were more interested inshirking responsibilities and scheming for power than in serving the public. They would expend significant resources to curry favor with the consort. Despite repeated rejections in his attempts at trial transportation, Li Shande's fortunes changed when he received the Token of the Prime Minister, allowing him to succeed in transporting the lychees. This experience il‐lustrated the helplessness of minor officials in ancient times and epitomized the shortcomings of feudal governance. Despite the pressures, Li Shande refused to compromise his integrity. When approached by the Prime Minister, he boldly asserted that the transportation of ly‐chees was a waste of resources, asking, “Which weighs more, the lychee or the coun‐try?” As a result, they demoted him to the plan‐tation, but he remained steadfast in his prin‐ciples.
`The Lychee Road reminds us that his‐tory is not just about emperors, generals, and ministers. It also includes the stories of ordi‐nary individuals whose resilience and commit‐ment to justice leave a lasting impact. Each of us will face our own “lychee roads” through‐out life, moments that test our principles and values.
As we reflect on Li Shande’s journey, let us embody his spirit of integrity and determina‐tion. In a world filled with challenges, may we summon the courage to stand firm in our be‐liefs, recognizing that even the smallest actions can lead to significant change. Together, let us navigate our own paths with purpose, honoring our values and inspiring others along the way. The choices we make today will shape the legacy we leave behind—let them be bold and unwavering.