Crickets bring good fortune to Shandong farmers

People watch a cricket fight in Ningjin county. [Photo by Li Meina for chinadaily.com.cn]

Villager Xu Jianxin struck it lucky when he was out on the prowl the other night in Youji village, Chaihudian Town – located in Ningjin county in East China's Shandong province.

"I caught a cricket last night and sold it for more than 2,000 yuan ($273)," he said with a smile on Aug 31.

Xu is one of the many cricket catchers in Ningjin, a county known for its high-quality crickets that attract enthusiasts from across the country.

Every year after the beginning of autumn, cricket lovers from Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and other places flock to Ningjin to select, buy and fight their crickets.

Ningjin has special natural conditions that make it suitable for the growth and reproduction of crickets. The crickets there are large, have good colors and are fierce and tenacious.

There is a saying in the industry that "famous crickets have come from Ningjin since ancient times". In fact, Ningjin continues to enjoy the unchallenged reputation of being "the first county of Chinese crickets".

As such, the critters have become a key source of income for local farmers. A cricket can cost from a few yuan to tens of thousands of yuan.

At present, the county has six large-scale cricket trading markets in different locations. According to estimates, the daily turnover of the county's combined cricket trading market can reach more than 3 million yuan, with an annual turnover of about 300 million yuan.

The prosperity of the cricket market has also greatly promoted the rapid development of more than 10 related industries, including tourism, transportation, catering and accommodation in Ningjin – creating jobs for more than 45,000 people. (Edited by Fan Yuanyuan)