Lychees are returning to markets this summer. But behind the popular seasonal fruit lies decades of agricultural research and breeding innovation. The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou is home to the world's largest lychee gene bank, housing nearly 800 varieties and a rare scientific breakthrough: the world's first lychee-longan hybrid. Huang Fei got an early taste.

　　China has cultivated lychees for more than 2,000 years and has exported them overseas since the 17th century.

　　This orchard serves as a living archive of the fruit's past, and a testing ground for its future.

　　Nearly 800 varieties are grown here. Some originate from different parts of China, while others have been reintroduced from regions as far away as Africa, South America, and Australia.

　　HUANG FEI Guangzhou "This is the world's largest living lychee gene bank. For more than 60 years, researchers have traveled through mountains, forests and border regions to collect rare and disappearing varieties. But preserving the past is only half the mission. Scientists are also trying to create the next generation of 'super fruits.'"

　　That means fruit that looks better, tastes better, lasts longer, and is easier to grow.

　　Part of the process involves crossing overseas "returnee" lychees with native Chinese varieties.

　　DR YAN QIAN Fruit Tree Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences "This comes from a variety we collected in Madagascar and naturally crossbred. We want to preserve biodiversity, while passing desirable traits to future generations. From identifying a promising strain to developing a commercially viable variety can take more than 15 years. This cross-species hybrid is considered one of the most promising breakthroughs, producing fruit for the first time after 11 years of research and cultivation."

　　HUANG FEI Guangzhou "So this is a breakthrough in cross-breeding – a 'marriage' between lychee and longan – and the only one of its kind in the world?"

　　DR YAN QIAN Fruit Tree Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences "Yes. The mother plant is lychee, and the father is longan. This kind of distant crossbreeding is extremely difficult because they are naturally incompatible. So we kind of 'tricked' them by mixing pollen. There's only one tree in the world, right here."

　　Another promising newcomer is also producing fruit for the first time – although mass cultivation is still a long way away.

　　DR SHI FACHAO Fruit Tree Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences "This one combines two traditional Guangdong varieties. The flesh is especially smooth and delicate, so we call it 'Ice Cream Lychee.' But it still needs regional testing and government approval. Large-scale cultivation is at least five or six years away."

　　Freshly picked lychees are quickly sent to the lab. Researchers aren't just studying taste and appearance – they're also looking at the fruit's nutritional value.

　　DR WEN YINGJIE Fruit Tree Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences "We discovered that Lychee contains high levels of GABA, a functional amino acid, which may help improve sleep and mood. With more than 700 varieties to analyze, cutting research time in half helps us identify better candidates much faster."

　　DR LIU HAILUN Fruit Tree Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences "We use texture analysis tools to measure elasticity and firmness, giving us an objective picture of quality."

　　Digital tools are helping researchers sort through mountains of data, and speeding up the search for higher quality fruit.

　　HUANG ZHENRUI Director and Researcher, Fruit Tree Research Institute Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences "We used to measure traits by hand and visual observation. Now, sensors and big data can track growth, color changes and development in real time. Good varieties aren't just in demand in China. Overseas markets want them too. Disease-resistant varieties also help reduce pesticide use and meet EU food safety standards."

　　China's lychee industry is valued at around 4.4 billion US dollars, or 30 billion yuan, and accounts for roughly 70 percent of global production. Developing improved varieties could translate into higher incomes for farmers, longer shelf life for exporters, and more diverse options for consumers. Huang Fei, CGTN, Guangzhou.