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$400 Hairy Crabs Selling Out in China as Consumers Splurge
- Consumers who can’t travel abroad are spending more at home
- Chinese delicacy is only available for a few weeks in autumn
Late in the afternoon on a recent weekday, workers at an aquaculture farm near Shanghai used long pincers to move 300-gram crabs from muddy ponds into small pools of freshwater. By morning, the crabs – their shells cleansed of dirt – will be packed into gift boxes and shipped to customers all over China.
These are no ordinary crustaceans: They’re hairy crabs, a delicacy that can cost as much as 2,700 yuan ($400) for a box of eight and can only be purchased for a few weeks in autumn. Prices for some of the most popular crabs have doubled compared to a year ago.