Photo shows the harvest of the hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Chu)

This year is a big year for Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs. Hairy crabs are one of the most sought-after ingredients at this time of year and those caught in Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu province are considered to be among the tastiest.

Crab is an autumn delicacy in China. It is prized for the female crab roe, which ripen in the ninth lunar month and the males in the tenth. Chinese believe crab meat has a "cooling" effect on the body.