Take the kids to Chongming to see the crabs | Xisha Wetland Park

| Xisha Wetland Park. I've been to Chongming Island many times, always playing on the east side, but this time I decided to give the kids a different experience, so we went to the Xisha Pearl Lake Scenic Area on the west side of the island.

Although it was drizzling, there were still quite a few people at the entrance. Seeing everyone with buckets, nets, and fishing rods baited with fat, I asked around and found out they were all here to fish for crabs. We quickly took our little sand-digging bucket and entered the park.❗️(The entrance sign says 'No fishing rods allowed in the park')

The mudflats in the wetland are full of small crabs, and on the unprotected wooden walkways, several families were catching crabs. We picked up a rod discarded by someone else that only had a cotton line and started 'fishing for crabs like Jiang Taigong'. To our surprise, many small crabs were actually caught by the cotton line. We caught a few and put them in the bucket, and the child was both scared and delighted. Before leaving the park, although the child was extremely happy, I patiently explained to her that these little crabs needed to go home to find their parents, and let her release the crabs back into the wetland herself. Perhaps because the child understood, she was rewarded with a big rainbow when we left the park.

🎫Tickets
The park does not require an entrance fee, but the Pearl Lake Scenic Area is under renovation and will not open until the end of August, so only the Xisha Wetland area is accessible. Parking at the entrance is charged per visit.

🦀️Xiaoqiu
The small crabs in the Xisha Wetland area are actually called xiaoqiu, with the gray ones mostly in the water and the red ones preferring the soil of the wetland.
️❗️They are an important part of maintaining the ecological balance of the wetland, so please do not take them home. They have little meat, cannot be kept alive, and should be left to live in the wetland park. This is also a great opportunity for parents to teach their children to care for nature.
In addition to the mud and water, many xiaoqiu can also be found climbing on the trunks of dawn redwood trees. It's interesting to see small crabs climbing trees for the first time.

🌲Environment
Besides the small crabs, the dawn redwoods and dry willow trees here are also extremely beautiful. We must come back to see them when they turn yellow in the fall.

Post by DEREK MATTHEWS | Mar 28, 2024