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In Pictures: China’s hairy crab phenomenon

Harvesting season is underway for a tasty crustacean that has been a delicacy in China for centuries.

Crab harvesting season begins in China in October and lasts until November. Shanghai(***)s citizens could not be happier about it.
By Dave Tacon
Published On 14 Oct 201214 Oct 2012
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Hairy crabs have been a popular delicacy in sourthern China for centuries. Harvesting season in now underway until November, and Shanghai’s residents could not be happier.

Crabs from Yangcheng Lake outside of Shanghai are the most highly prized, and once graced the Emperor’s dinner table. During hairy crab season, the crustaceans are found everywhere in Shanghai – peddled on street corners and in bustling markets. There’s no such phenomenon in the capital Beijing. Hairy crabs are also highly sought after in Hong Kong and are exported to Taiwan and Singapore.

Ping Xie – the crab farm and restaurant on Yangcheng Lake – delivers live crabs to all corners of China. There are signs at airports in Shanghai that forbid the transportation of live crabs as hand luggage.

A feast of hairy crab from Yangcheng Lake sets one back about $25 at a restaurant in Shanghai. The industry was commercialised in the 1980s, and hairy crab prices rise by about 20 per cent each year since then. The crabs are hugely popular “business gifts” – greasing the wheels of Chinese commerce.

Like other luxury goods in China, “fake” hairy crabs raised in less hygienic locations are sold with counterfeit trademarks to unsuspecting buyers.

Part of their popularity is that crab meat is considered a body coolant in traditional Chinese medicine. Hairy crabs are therefore served with “warming” condiments such as vinegar, ginger, and yellow rice wine to provide the perfect balance.

In Mandarin, the word hairy crab sounds like “harmony”.

Crabs are popular in China, and the ones coming from Yangcheng Lake outside Shanghai are some of the most valued.
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During the hairy crab season, one can find the creatures all around Shanghai.
Hairy crabs are also exported to Taiwan and Singapore, and are in high demand in Hong Kong.
A hairy crab farmer poses with her harvest of the southern China delicacy on a farm on Yangcheng Lake.
The price of hairy crabs rise by about 20 per cent each year.
Crabs once graced the Emperor(***)s dinner table. Today, they are served with "warming" condiments such as vinegar, yellow rice, ginger, and wine.
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Hairy crabs are also well received as business gifts.
In Mandarin,  the word for "hairy crab" sounds like "harmony".
Signs at airports in Shanghai forbid the transportation of live crabs as hand luggage.
A sous chef at Bund Riverside Hotel prepares a crab dish.
Crab meat is considered a body coolant in traditional Chinese medicine, and part of their popularity is due to this belief.


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