The lychees of Gaozhou

Gaozhou is famous for its lychees. In ancient times, the lychees produced by Gaozhou folks were sent to the palace for the taste buds of the emperor and his royal family. In the Tang Dynasty, Yang Gui Fei liked to eat Gaozhou lychees. She send her offcial Gao Li Shi to Gaozhou to transport lychees to the palace. In fact Gao Li Shi was a native of Gaozhou. His residence was still in Gaozhou, but a large part of the building was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In today's Gaozhou, there is a lychee orchard called Gong Yuan (贡园）where you can find some lychee trees which are more than 1000 year old. These trees seems fragile, but they are still producing lychees.