Crab City

Love and hate, local customs, and the strange goings-on of the business world are all here. This novel tells the arduous story of a "fisherman's daughter" born aboard a fishing boat in the Lixia River waterlands. She starts out by leasing fish ponds and raising fish, then discovers a successful way to farm mitten crabs. She helps local farmers become prosperous and eventually earns the title of "Crab King." The plot is full of twists and turns, and several couples experience passionate, heartrending romances...

Spanning more than sixty years, the novel paints a picture of the development of rural waterland communities under the Party's leadership and the gradual changes of history. The author portrays the local customs and traditions, praises the farmers' kindness and hard work, and also depicts the flaws in human nature and the feudal ignorance found among them. The novel explores the weak sense of social responsibility among farming entrepreneurs, as well as their limited vision and thinking amid the new economic tide. Finally, the author raises concerns and questions about the unchecked expansion of aquaculture into rice paddies, the loss of arable land, and the pollution of water resources and soil caused by fish farming.