The journey to Yangcheng Lake is an experience pleasant to both the eyes and appetite. All Shanghai people know that the lake is the hometown for the tastiest hairy crab - da zha xie.

Every year, the period from the end of September to January is the best time to taste hairy crab. Right through this period, almost every restaurant, from the grand ones to small ones with only a few tables, boast about their genuine but cheap hairy crab. But to taste real hairy crab, Yangchenghu is the best place.

It was a sunny weekend and after two hours driving, we arrived at Yangchenghu Town which is located in the Suzhou Xiangcheng District in neighboring Jiangsu Province. The town sits in the middle of the lake and is quiet and clean, an obvious contrast to the bustle of Shanghai.

Small stores sell local snacks such as watermelon seeds and an unnamed sweet cake. The oranges are also sweet and fresh.

Of course, the highlight of the trip is hairy crabs. The best place for the crab is Lianhua Island (Lotus Island), so called because its shape resembles a lotus.

There are over 200 families living on the island, almost all involved in crabs and fish. The excellent quality of the water is the key to producing high-quality hairy crab, said Dai Guoqiang, a hairy crab grower.

On the shuttle boat to the island, we found the water in the lake was really clear and without any rubbish - a rare occurrence in China.

"Clean water means money to local people - who would dare to pollute it?" Dai said.

After traveling for five minutes along a narrow channel with crab farmers' houses on both sides, the view suddenly opened up and the lake appeared. Now we were in the centre of the lake.

The lake was as calm as a mirror with dozens of posts standing above the surface here and there. Dai told us there were thousands of crabs under water near the posts.

We arrived at a big boat, the restaurant and it was time for lunch.

Apart from hairy crab, other local dishes such as pumpkin porridge and fish are especially nice, but hairy crab is always No. 1 for us.

The crabs have a special identifying logo printed on their backs because there are too many fake Yangchenghu crabs on the market today.

Yangchenghu crabs do not need any seasoning. Just eat them when they are hot. So fresh and delicious - the taste is hard to describe, just try it.

After enjoying the meal, we strolled around the island. We played with a little black cat with two white ears, were shocked by the size of a huge cock and its several wives, also of a big size, and we chatted with local people, all kind and warm hearted.

The last activity was returning to town to buy crabs. The market is called xie wang (crab king). The price for a couple of crabs (one male and one female) was about 80 yuan (US$10), much cheaper than in Shanghai.

(Shanghai Star by Xu Xiaomin November 27, 2003)