Lake cleanup spurs crab farmer to organize tourism venture

After farming crabs in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, for about a decade, Shen Xingcai is quitting the environmentally unfriendly business to run a residential inn near popular Taihu Lake.

"I have farmed 1 hectare of hairy crabs in the eastern part of Taihu Lake," Shen said. "Like many of the villagers in Jinting township, I've signed a contract with the local government to stop. Government workers told us that the food we put into the water to feed the crabs pollutes the water. Crabs eating the weeds also damage the environment."

Hairy crabs, a seasonal delicacy, are farmed in 3,000 hectares of Taihu Lake, China's third-largest freshwater lake, but Suzhou's city government has ordered the removal of all the nets and tools used by the crab farmers by the end of this year.