The Litchi Road

Li Shande was a petty official in the capital city Chang’an during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. One day he received a task that he should transport fresh litchi from Guangdong province to Chang’an before the birthday of Lady Yang. Litchi changed in color in one day, and for two days, its fragrance changed and its taste changed when it was kept for three days. But Guangdong was about 2000 kilometers. so it was an impossible mission for Li Shande to accomplish. But for the survival of his family, Li determined to try his utmost. ‘Even if I fail, I want to know how far I am from the terminal right before I fall,’ he said. This book carries on Ma Boyong’s writing style of tension in time space, which let readers see the ways of survival of small potatoes during the turbulent time and also experienced the passionate striving with painstaking effort. It also has a map for the transportation of the litchi.