Review: The Litchi Road (2025) 长安的荔枝
Summary: In the Tang Dynasty, Li Shan De ft Lei Jia Yin is tasked with mission impossible of bringing back fresh lychee for the Emperor’s beloved Nobel Consort for her birthday. Without much option, he sets off to Ling Nan in Southern China to see what he can do. Meanwhile, his brother-in-law Zheng Ping An ft Yue Yun Peng is also sent down to Ling Nan on a separate mission for the Left Chancellor for a chance to return to the official Zheng Family.
Platform: CCTV 8, Tencent
Episodes: 35
Airing Date: June 7, 2025
Rating: 7.3/10 [22 episodes in] – The production and acting of this drama are top notch. Lei Jia Yin and Yue Yun Peng work very well together as leading men in a sprawling cast. Plus this drama boasts many production similarities as the Longest Day in Chang’An.
However, in this more character driven story, it is not as captivating as its predecessor. Though he embodies several exceptional qualities, Li Shan De is more frustrating as a leading man than Zhang Xiao Jing and the drama is more grounded in the harsh realities of the current work place and society. I’m left not wanting to finish this drama due to a level of foreboding.
Li Shan De 李善德 Lei Jia Yin 雷佳音
Mathematician tasked with bringing Lychee back to Chang'An
zheng ping an 郑平安 yue yun peng 岳云鹏
Brother-in-law of Li Shan De. Tasked with being a spy for the Left Chancellor
yun qing 云清 an tian 安沺
Leader of the Left Chancellor's spy organization in Ling Nan.
su liang 苏凉 lv liang 吕凉
Jolly Merchant that helps finance Li Shan De's endeavors
Plot Overview
Set in the Tang dynasty during the 13th year of the Tian Bao Era (10 years after the setting of the Longest Day in Chang’An) , Li Shan De ft Lei Jia Yin was tricked into becoming the Litchi official and was forced to accept a mission to ship fresh litchi for the Noble Consort’s birthday. This is literally a death sentence because of how difficult it is to move fresh lychee at that time. From Ling Nan to Chang An is over 5000 Li which makes this an impossible task. In order to ensure his daughter’s safety, Li Shan De has no option but to embark on this journey. On this journey he is joined by Zheng Ping An ft Yue Yun Peng, someone aimed at finding evidence of the Right Chancellor’s corruption. Returning home the 2 meet many people that serve as obstacles on their path. How will they complete their respective missions?
Overall Thoughts
Though not a direct sequel to the Longest Day in Chang’An, this drama serves to be in the same universe. Set 10 years after the events of the Longest Day in Chang’An, there are many mentions of what happened 10 years ago while also many actors are in either the same role or else in different roles in the Litchi Road. That adds to an interesting experience of feeling like we’ve returned to see an old friend on a new adventure.
This drama has certainly set off a level of litchi/lychee interest online with many people discussing exactly what route Li Shan De took in order to ship Litchi back to Chang’An. In history, we know that the (in)famous Noble Consort Yang wanted to eat fresh lychee and Emperor Tang Xuan Zong/Li Long Ji ordered it be done. The task was completed but it signaled the lavish and extravagant waste of such venture. In this drama, we see this on full display. It is an impossible task that was made possible but at an extraordinarily high price. Unsurprisingly, the An Lu Shan rebellion occurred not long after the events of this litchi retrieval that marked the beginning of the end of the Tang Dynasty.
The Litchi Road as a drama has only done ok. It has not garnered nearly as much interest as the Longest Day In Chang’An. To me, that makes sense. It is not as action packed as the prior drama and the focus of the show is more about the day-to-day actions of individuals. However, Li Shan De as a character is not as captivating as the larger than life Zhang Xiao Jing. He has many top notch qualities but also many flaws that make him quite “human” but perhaps less interesting if you’re looking for a “hero”. On one hand, we admire how one man was able to solve the problems placed in front of him and see the kindness of many of those around him willing to help this man on a death mission, but on the other, we are reminded of how corrupt the system is for people with no money or connections, and in turn how weak and frustrating Li Shan De can be. It leads to a less than ideal experience if you’re trying to “escape” realities of day-to-day work and the broader socio-economic challenges.
I stopped “chasing” at around episode 22 to wait for more episodes to air but have not been motivated to continue watching because the more idealistic part of the drama is done. The next few episodes and into the end game seem to be less optimistic and more frustrating. I may return in the future but below are my thoughts 22 episodes in.
What I Like
- Being Back in Cao Dun’s the Tang Dynasty: Given that it is the same director and book author as the Longest Day in Chang’An, we were sure to be back in a setting that is of high production value with relatively high historical accuracy. There were many moments within the Litchi Road that were callbacks to the Longest Day in Chang’An that was never actively called out, or explained, but to viewers of the first drama, it was a welcome treat. For example, we saw Li Shan De and A Mi Ta enter into into perhaps the West Market. The doors only open to this “fang” when the drum beats sound and everyone is let in. That is what we saw in the first episode of the Longest Day in Chang’An. Another example is the messengers that run around with little feathers/flags on their backs. They were crucial to sending messages in the Longest Day in Chang’An but were more background fodder in the Litchi Road. But I definitely did smile when I saw them running around in various scenes.
- Yue Yun Peng as Zheng Ping An: Yue Yun Ping is a well known Xiang Sheng actor or Cross Talk/ Comedic dialog actor. He has expanded into acting roles lately but he did add quite a lot to this drama. Apparently, Zheng Ping An as a character was newly created for this drama and there was a lot of creative license for this character. Many people online did not like that there were deviations in the drama from the book, but I thought Yue Yun Peng’s Zheng Ping An was a fantastic addition. He is Li Shan De’s brother-in-law (his sister married Li Shan De) and doesn’t care much for him, but absolutely adores his niece, Xiu’er. He does everything within his power to take care of his niece and absolutely dotes on her. He’s also a great master to Gou’Er, a young boy he treats more as a son than a servant.
- The interactions between Zheng Ping An and Li Shan De are frustratingly hilarious. Li Shan De has no idea that he’s foiling many of Zheng Ping An’s plans and Zheng Ping An has to figure out how to save himself in spite of Li Shan De’s accidental meddling. Moreover, Zheng Ping An’s character is very multi-faceted. Originally from one of the most powerful families in Chang’An, his immediate family was kicked out of the branch and he was kicked down in society. How he managed to survive is rather heartbreaking but he does know full well who he is. He gave one of the funniest lines in the drama where he points out that a woman who is trying to seduce him is definitely lying. He says she is almost throwing up looking at him. I applaud that level of self-awareness.
- Adorable and loveable side characters: In addition to Zheng Ping An, the cast of characters that Li Shan De meets in Ling Nan are all unique and fun, even the antagonists. Su Lao, the foreign business man is soooo funny because of his incorrect uses of idioms that have me chuckling. We would have to spend hours to explain why his idioms are wrong but not fully wrong. The lychee garden owner, A Tong, is very kind to Li Shan De. Zheng Ping An’s contact, Gentlewoman Kong Lan and her group of people also add chuckles to the story. Say what you want about the bad official He You Guang but his antics are quite entertaining. They add quite a bit of character to Li Shan De’s southern travels and are the star of the show.
Why I Struggle To Finish the Drama
- Li Shan De- I absolutely commend Lei Jian Yin for bringing us a man who is entirely different from Zhang Xiao Jing that it’s almost impossible to connect the two people together. The challenge with this story line is that it revolves around a less “fun” character. Both Zhang Xiao Jing and Li Shan De had flaws but Li Shan De’s flaws are perhaps more obvious especially when he’s in Chang’An. He is someone who is highly intelligent, a nerd and a dork if you will, but does not know how to navigate the business/political landscape in Chang’An. This led to him being shunned, ridiculed and impoverished in the city, losing his beloved wife and struggling to buy back their family home. There are certainly many top notch qualities that LI Shan De possesses. He is, what you can consider, of “pure heart”. It is often through his kindness and perseverance that he was ultimately able to solve the problem of shipping the lychee back to chang’an. He was willing to work as equals with the farmers like A Tong, treat slave A Li as friends and partner with Su Lao for this endeavor. He did not seek fame and fortune for himself, but only for his daughter. However, his more down to earth predicament of not wanting to “play the Chang’An” game and having less EQ leads to a more frustrating watch which ultimately is less about Li Shan De, and more about the environment he was placed in.
- Despite being set in the Tang Dynasty, the story is very “real” – Related to what was said above, the drama really took a nosedive from an interest level perspective the moment Li Shan De returned to Chang’An. Mainly because the “magic” is gone. Li Shan De worked so hard with the help of some amazing people to succeed in his plan of returning fresh lychee, but reality hits. All the problems he faced before he left returns in even stronger force. We are dropped back to the reality that nobody really wanted him to succeed and there is so much corruption in the city that it’s almost impossible to keep that “pure heart”. I’m trying to save myself the frustration hence I haven’t wanted to finish the drama.
More Connections to The Longest Day in Chang'An
This drama is chalk full of connections to the Longest Day in Chang’An.
The time setting is Tian Bao 13 Zai or the 13th year of the Tian Bao Era. This is a very specific time. The Longest Day in Chang’An was specifically set on the Lantern Festival for Tian Bao 3 zai or the 3rd year of the Tian Bao era. Now, throughout the drama, there are MANY callbacks to what happened 10 years ago on Tian Bao San Zai.
Same role, same actor
If you missed it, one person in particular is the barber. The original barber that we saw in episode 1 of the Longest Day in Chang’An died that night in the scuffle. His daughter was saved. In the Lietchi Road, the same actor reappears on screen, as a barber, but he claims he is the brother of the original barber. The young daughter is now a young woman, grown up. We hear her name. And the barber also referenced the shaving knife he used that was recognized for its special quality specifically by a man on the 3rd year of the Tian Bao era.
Do you remember Ding Tong’Er? The woman in the underground network that had a lover but said lover ran away and left her to rot when given the chance? She makes a brief cameo in the Liechi Road where she also says, on the 3rd year of the Tian Bao era, someone said the exact same things to her about coming back and taking her away. She says that never happened and he never saw that man again.
There are a few others that you’ll have to watch the drama to see.
Different Roles, Same Actor
But, the other side of this is the fact that the director Cao Dun opted to use many of the SAME actors in this drama as in the Longest Day in Chang’An. So while we had some characters help with the continuity of the universe, I am getting tripped up a bit from seeing actors that were rather iconic in the Longest Day in Chang’An now suddenly be another role that was vastly different in this drama, The Lietchi Road.
Key changes are – the Emperor Li Long Ji from the Longest Day in Chang’An is now the top ranking official in Ling Nan. Instead of an emperor, he is now He You Guang, a rooster fighting lover, ex-pirate, seemingly stupid but actually incredibly perceptive official in league with the Right Chancellor.
Meanwhile, Zhao Can Jun, a funny military captain who was a minor character in the Longest Day in Chang An, is now He You Guang’s right hand man as Zhao Zhang Shi. He has a lot more screen time as we see him figure out how to manage his boss and the city.
Director He from the Longest Day in Chang’An is now the Left Chancellor in The Lietchi Road. Xu Bin, the hidden big bad in the Longest Day In Chang’An is now the Right Chancellor. Courageous Cui Qi, the soldier who died fighting to protect the people of Chang An in the Longest Day in Chang’An is now the leader of the rooster fighting ring in Ling Nan in the Liechi Road. He Fu, the son of Director He who had plotted to kill the Right Chancellor in the earlier drama, is now a slave that goes by the name of A Li.
—-
Let me know what you thought of the drama and if it’s worth finishing it!
Karen