This man is selling crickets in bamboo wicker cages on a Shanghai street. Crickets have been a popular summertime pet since ancient times. They are kept in homes and shops for their therapeutic chirping, a sort of seasonal cheap variation on the caged song bird. The crickets will be hung up in their wicker homes or be decanted into tiny bird-cage style casings. I think this goes into the 'ways in which China is different' pile. Also an example of the sort of traditional home industry that many people still rely on, even in developed Shanghai.
2 comments:
hey... very interesting. I love discovering these small cultural quirks. btw what happens then.. you take the cage home and the cricket chirps.. how long for? how do you feed them? and what's the average life span of a cricket?
you know Fink, i tend not to dwell on that as I suspect those crickets are not off to caring homes. My neighbour's lasted about a week I think. And i ve seen rice left in the cages but whether this is really what crickets eat or just a token attempt at care i'm not sure. i don't think there's a lot of emotional involvement here with these purchases!
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