Autumn has arrived in Xinghua, a water town in Jiangsu province, as water caltrops, chrysanthemums and crabs come into season, marking the start of the local harvest season.
At water caltrop ponds in Libao village, Chenbao town, pickers in wooden tubs move among the aquatic plants, picking the cream of the crop. Fresh from the water, the caltrops are crisp and sweet. This year's crop is especially promising, with yields reaching up to 750 kilograms per mu (1 mu=0.07 hectares).
Pickers in wooden tubs gather water caltrops. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghualyuyou]
At Qianduo Scenic Area, zinnias are blooming across the raised fields known as duotian. In the 60-mu core area, early blooming small chrysanthemums have replaced last year's ground-cover chrysanthemums, giving the area more vivid color. This autumn, the scenic area will host an event featuring crab tasting and chrysanthemum viewing.
Visitors take photos among the colorful flowers. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghualyuyou]
Xinghua's hairy crabs are also coming to market early. The hairy crab export base in Lincheng subdistrict began its harvest in late August, 15 to 20 days earlier than usual, with female crabs averaging about 150 grams. Crabs from the city's 640,000 mu of ponds are being shipped nationwide and overseas by cold-chain air freight.
Hairy crabs produced in Xinghua. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghualyuyou]