"As a symbol of autumn, they have become associated with loneliness, sadness, pity for the fate of mankind and are thus used prolifically in Chinese poems," wrote entomologist Jin Xingbao in an essay. Their feistiness is part of their appeal but their short lives, and their deaths in the cruel winter frosts, have greater cultural resonance. Yin said some owners cross-breed them with other species to produce tougher fighters – or resort to doping them.Įven the hardiest do not survive for long. These days contenders are sorted into weight classes and champions change hands for thousands of pounds. Cricket fighting is an even more addictive pursuit than rearing the insects for their song.Ĭhina's notorious 13th-century "cricket minister" was accused of neglecting duties due to his obsession. Other areas near the latter city took it up because of their relative wealth and love of betting, added Yin gambling is banned but widespread on the mainland. The strongest cricket cultures are found in Beijing, Xi'an and Hangzhou because they were ancient capitals, said Zhao, reflecting the noble origins of the hobby. Most are middle-aged men who remember playing with the insects as children. Wang keeps his pet in a see-through tube with breathing grids at the end, but cricket houses can sell for hundreds of pounds.ĭedicated fanciers can buy special long-handled sponges for bathing the insects and spoons to feed them titbits of vegetables or tofu. Some commissioned elaborate sandalwood cases inlaid with mother of pearl. Historically, cricket lovers kept their pets in specially moulded gourds or elaborately wrought bamboo or metal cages. There have even been cricket singing competitions. Volume is most important, but tone matters, too. The most exquisite and melodic can command five times that. A specimen with a particularly fine song might cost 400 yuan. But in winter, their scarcity sends the price shooting up. In the summer, you can buy one for 10 yuan (£1), said Wang. Selling crickets has become a lucrative industry for farmers from Shandong, in the north-east, which is said to produce the best. "Gradually, it became popular among normal people." "As early as the Tang dynasty, in the palaces, the concubines fed those sound-producing insects to kill time when they felt lonely," said Yin Haisheng, director of the Shanghai Entomological Museum, which will soon hold an exhibition on the subject. Later, the wealthy began to keep them in cages. Writers celebrated cricket song as early as 500BC, experts say. "In winter, if you have some flowers and keep a bush cricket singing in your room, how elegant it is!"
Can any musical instrument compare?" said Zhao Boguang, deputy director of the Capital sound-producing insect specialist committee, who sells about 1,000 such pets each year. "It is such fun – it is the sound of nature. After falling out of favour when the Communists came to power in 1949, the pastime re-emerged in the 1990s as people grew wealthier and renewed their interest in Chinese traditions. China has a long history of cherishing insects for their voices and fighting abilities, immortalising crickets and bush crickets in poetry and paintings.
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