Macao revels in the seasonal bounty of lobster

Ordering a lobster while dining out may strike some as self-indulgent, but the country's connoisseurs eagerly welcome the crustaceans, even if it means flying the creatures from the United States, Australia or Canada.

Lobsters became popular in China early in the 1990s, after the country adopted the opening up and reform policy. By 1998, there were upwards of 10,000 tons of lobsters flown into Shanghai's Hongqiao airport every year, according to statistics from the municipality's customs agency.

In 2014, exports of live and processed lobsters from the US to China peaked at $90.5 million, 40 times of that of five years earlier.