The Lychee Road 长安的荔枝 Review: Multi-Hyphenate Da Peng Subtly Blends Emotionally Resonant Drama in This Entertaining Period Comedy
The Lychee Road poses an unlikely question: How does one transport fresh lychees at 2,500 km without risking the fruits from turning rotten? If the movie takes place in a modern world, that wouldn’t be an issue. But this one is set in an ancient era, specifically the Tang Dynasty, where such a task is deemed impossible. But not for Eunuch Yu (Chang Yuan), who is tasked to find a scapegoat to fulfil the Emperor’s far-fetched request.
That scapegoat in question is Li Shande (Da Peng), a low-ranking government official from the Bureau of Imperial Gardens. He’s stuck in an underpaid job that doesn’t justify his college-level qualification in mathematics, and is constantly bullied at work. The only solace he gets is his loving wife, Yu Ting (an underused Yang Mi) and their young daughter back home. He has just taken a hefty loan to finally buy a home, and it will take a long while to pay back the sum.
This is where his so-called fortune arrives when his superior offers him an opportunity of his lifetime: getting a promotion as a lychee envoy, where he must complete his mission to deliver the lychees within the time given. Li hesitated at first, but since taking up the job could benefit him with a better salary, he finally agreed to it and signed his name on the imperial decree. Soon, he realises he’s being duped that the supposedly written contract is stated “preserved” lychees, only to find out his actual mission is to deliver the fresh ones.
By then, it’s too late for Li, except for finding a way to complete the task or risk punishment. The Lychee Road begins as a comedy exploring how a mild-mannered government official like Li Shande is conned into taking on an impossible mission, leading to a series of misadventures and setbacks along the way. His long journey sees Li making friends with the wealthy Su Liang (Bai Ke), where the latter initially wanted to take advantage of Li’s precious Five Prefectures Pass. Then, there’s Tong (Sabrina Zhuang), the owner of a lychee orchard that she inherited from her deceased parents.
After Li manages to reach an agreement to buy the lychees from Tong, this is where the movie gets more interesting. Li’s mathematical skill is put to good use during a stretch of him uses a combination of his expertise and experimentation to get the fresh lychees from Lingnan to Chang’an. It’s hard not to be rooting for his perseverance as he tests every possible method to succeed in the delivery, like how he employs a team of horse riders to transport the fresh lychees using different routes.
His never-give-up attitude upon facing such an ordeal is downright inspiring. The kind of universal theme that resonates with everyone. Obstacles happen, but failure is not an option, as long as there’s still time for Li to keep on going. Beneath the absurdity of its premise, Da Peng, who pulls double duties including writing and directing The Lychee Road, subtly reflects the story with today’s plight in solving problems. At one point, Li’s elaborate plan suffers a major blow, which triggers him to think outside the box.
Da Peng also deserves equal praise for addressing how corruption ran rampant at the time. Not to mention the frustration of dealing with various government departments, resulting in one of the movie’s funniest yet bitingly relatable scenes revolving around Li trying to get approval, only to be treated like a ball being passed around back and forth. Da Peng doesn’t forget to raise the stakes where it matters the most, adding a mix of action and suspense, particularly during the engrossing third act.
As an actor, Da Peng steals the show as Li Shande while he is backed by a mostly solid supporting cast, namely Bai Ke and Sabrina Zhuang as Li’s respective allies, Su Liang and Tong. The movie also benefits from small roles, notably Andy Lau’s memorable turn as the scheming Right Chancellor.
