STORY: Crab farming brings wealth to villagers along Yellow River in north China 
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Nov. 18, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:34
LOCATION: TAIYUAN, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the crab farming base
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI NAN, Crab farmer in Xuegong Village
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LI NAN, Crab farmer in Xuegong Village

STORYLINE:

Farmers in Xuegong Village, Linyi County, north China's Shanxi Province have transformed the tidal flats along the Yellow River into a land of wealth by developing specialized aquaculture in recent years.

The Yellow River tidal flats with lush aquatic plants provide excellent conditions for crab growth.
   
39-year-old Li Nan returned home to start a crab farming business four years ago.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI NAN, Crab farmer in Xuegong Village
"When I returned home from Xi'an in 2020, I happened to discover the tidal flats along the Yellow River are an ideal environment for aquatic breeding."

In the first two years of his venture, due to immature aquaculture techniques, the survival rate of the crabs in his ponds was only about 30%. 

Through continuous exploration, the survival rate of the crabs he farmed increased significantly.
   
After several years of dedicated research, Li Nan has now become a well-known "crab farming expert" in the area, and his crab ponds have expanded to 33.35 hectares.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LI NAN, Crab farmer in Xuegong Village
"After years of breeding crabs, I have found the distinctive advantages of raising crabs here. In terms of the climate, the large temperature difference between day and night and fewer days of high-temperature weather here provide a favorable environment for crab growth. Meanwhile, the Yellow River water that we used is full of nutrients, such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium. The quality of soil and water are good for the water grass to grow. During the seedling period, crabs have abundant nutrients to eat."

Now, crab farming has become a distinctive industry for increasing the income of Xuegong Villagers. In 2023, the village's crab production reached 75,000 kilograms.

It can provide more than 130 jobs for locals and generate a collective income of 500,000 yuan (about 69,000 U.S. dollars) annually to the village.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Taiyuan, China.
(XHTV)