The 7th Wuhe Crab Festival Kicks Off: Using Crabs as a Medium to Paint a New Picture of Rural Revitalization

On October 11, the 2025 China Farmers' Harvest Festival and the 7th Crab Festival of Wuhe County kicked off at Tuohu Wharf in Tuohu Township under the theme "Celebrating Agricultural Harvest and Enjoying a Better Life". As a major agricultural event in northern Anhui, the festival adopts an integrated model of "culture + industry + tourism" to showcase the charm of Wuhe County—known as "a land with graceful water scenery and a bright pearl on the Huaihe River"—and uses crabs as a cultural link to paint a vivid picture of rural revitalization.

Site of the 7th Crab Festival of Wuhe County 

Photo by Ding Hai

Site of the 7th Crab Festival of Wuhe County 

Photo by Li Xiangqian

At the opening ceremony, a grand cultural performance ignited the joy of the harvest. The Harvest Drums resounded with the rhythm of autumn, the dragon dance performance "Prosperous Age with Soaring Dragons" expressed the vitality of the times, and the Wuhe folk song medley "Singing Songs of Harvest in a Bountiful Year" along with the male solo "Our Ordinary People" took turns on stage. The fusion of local culture and modern art vividly showcased the happy lives of the people in Wuhe County.

Dragon dance performance "Prosperous Age with Soaring Dragons" 

Photo by Chen Weijian

The "Crab King and Crab Queen Contest" and the "Crab Tying Competition" were among the most anticipated highlights. The 475g male crab and 385g female crab submitted by Dayanghu Aquatic Breeding Co., Ltd. won the championship for their outstanding quality. These competitions not only demonstrated the farmers' breeding skills but also reflected the remarkable achievements of ecological crab farming in Wuhe County.

"Crab King" and "Crab Queen"

Photo by Xu Haotian

Crab Tying Competition

Photo by Chen Weijian

Industrial empowerment brought tangible results. The agricultural product exhibition area along Tuohu Avenue was bustling with visitors. Local specialty products with geographical indications, such as Wuhe crabs, rice from rice-crab co-cultivation, and Daxin rock candy hawthorns, were prominently displayed. Meanwhile, investment promotion events, on-site crab fishing, and online livestream sales were carried out, creating a marketing model that combines "offline experience + online engagement" and further expanding the festival’s influence.

Agricultural Product Exhibition at the 7th Crab Festival of Wuhe County

Photo by Zhong Lei

Wuhe County is endowed with five rivers—the Huaihe, Huihe, Chonghe, Tonghe and Tuohe. The county's crab farming area covers about 80,000 mu (approximately 5,333 hectares), generating an annual output value of 460 million yuan. In 2019, "Wuhe Crab" was granted the title of "National Geographical Indication Protected Product", and in 2024, it was listed among the National Catalog of Characteristic Agricultural Products, becoming a key pillar industry that boosts farmers' income.

Agricultural Product Exhibition of the 7th Crab Festival of Wuhe County 

Photo by Xu Haotian

Performance at the Agricultural Product Exhibition 

Photo by Zhong Lei

This festival is not only a celebration of the harvest for the people, but also a practical showcase of rural development and revitalization achievements. Looking ahead, Wuhe County will continue to take characteristic agriculture as its foundation, ecological resources as its support, and cultural tourism as its bridge, deepening the path of rural revitalization and steadily advancing towards the goal of strong agriculture, beautiful countryside, and prosperous farmers.