Changdang Lake Hairy Crabs

Changdang Lake Hairy Crabs

　　Changdang Lake is one of the larger shallow, aquatic-plant-rich freshwater lakes in southern China. The water here is crystal clear, the shores are teeming with waterfowl, the lakebed is lush with aquatic plants, and there is an abundance of snails and clams. The water depth remains between 1.2 to 1.5 meters year-round, and the pH level consistently stays between 7 and 8 — making it highly suitable for the farming of crustacean aquatic products. It’s particularly worth mentioning that Changdang Lake is a “guest water” type lake, also commonly known as “flowing water.” Flowing water nourishes people, and even more so, it nurtures crab species. Changdang Lake Hairy Crabs are the signature crabs produced in this lake. Hairy Crabs are a type of river crab, scientifically known as the Chinese mitten crab. They are widely sold in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macau.

　　Changdang Lake is part of the Taihu Lake water system, located upstream of both Taihu Lake and Yangcheng Lake, in the southeastern part of Jintan City. It covers a total area of 130,000 mu, of which 40,000 mu with high-quality water are designated as hairy crab farming bases, yielding approximately 150 kilograms of hairy crabs per mu. The lake water is clean and unpolluted, and with the use of scientific breeding techniques, the resulting crabs are large in size, delicious in taste, and rich in roe. In recent years, they have been mainly exported to regions such as Hong Kong and Taiwan in China, as well as Japan and South Korea. Changdang Lake Hairy Crabs are all farmed on a large scale. The crab seedlings are purchased from the mouth of the Yangtze River and then placed in the farming bases, where they are fed with active feed. Not only are the hairy crabs from Changdang Lake exceptionally tasty, but they are also large in size — over 4 liang (approximately 200 grams) per crab in more than 40% of each mu’s yield. They also feature the distinctive traits of “green back, white belly, yellow hair, and golden claws,” and have long been favored by consumers.