Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    China
    Home / China / Society

    Crab museum gets people out of shells

    By HU MEIDONG in Fuzhou and YE ZIZHEN | China Daily | Updated: 2021-12-27 09:45
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Liu Cheng-hung introduces the exhibits in the World Crab Museum in Meizhou Island, Putian, Fujian province. CHINA DAILY

    The facility in Fujian province houses more than 300 species and has a total of over 1,000 specimens

    The World Crab Museum on Meizhou Island, Putian, Fujian province, is drawing enthusiasts from across China.

    Covering over 1,000 square meters, the facility is home to more than 323 species of crabs, and 1,000 collections of crustaceans are on display.

    "We mainly collect crustaceans from around the world. More than 90 percent of the collections here feature rarely seen crabs, and a dozen of those on display are endangered species, such as the six-legged giant crab," said Liu Cheng-hung, the museum's owner and manager.

    The museum also houses members of the paromolopsis family, a type of crab reputed to look like people, and lophozozymus, which are highly poisonous.

    Born in an island county in Taiwan, Liu has felt connected to the ocean since he was very young.

    Most of his memories of his hometown revolve around gentle breezes in spring, heat waves in summer and the vast ocean year-round.

    "I feel familiar with the ocean. I have been interested in water sports and ocean activities from a young age," he said.

    His interest in crabs and ocean creatures has been deeply influenced by his family.

    "My grandfather started collecting crabs out of interest. My father joined him and started making crab specimens (preparing dead crabs for display purposes). They gained lots of experience and professional knowledge," Liu said.

    After graduating from the National Chengchi University in Taipei in 2017, when he was in his 20s, Liu decided to return to Penghu, his hometown, and work in the local travel industry.

    In 2019, he opened a temporary crab museum in Xiamen, Fujian, to make his debut and test the market, closing it in December that year. Last year, Liu opened the World Crab Museum in Meizhou.

    As the number of crabs the family collected grew, Liu learned about the diversity of the natural world and of ocean creatures. As a result, his hobby gradually became his career.

    "There have been many memorable and impressive moments. It takes years and requires great luck to collect some of the rare species on display in the museum. For example, we wanted to collect both the male and female of one species, but we had to wait seven years before we finally found them," he said.

    "It takes anywhere from days to months to prepare a specimen. The process includes decomposition, removing the internal organs, soaking in preservatives, air-drying and then reassembly. During the process, I have found plastic inside crabs, which illustrates how human activities are polluting the ocean, and that we should do more to protect it."

    The specimens are made in Taiwan, and transported from Kaohsiung to Xiamen, then to Putian.

    Of all his collections, Liu is especially fond of hermit crabs, which live in shells.

    "A hermit crab will carry a shell like its own house, and the sea anemones and coral that grow on the shell are like the furniture. When the hermit crab moves, the house and furniture move with it, just like with humans," he said.

    The exhibitions are based on different water systems: from lakes and rivers, estuaries, intertidal zones and the shallow sea to the deeps.

    Since it opened, the museum has received 100,000 public visits.

    "I came to Fujian in 2007 for the first time when I was in junior high. The Mazu culture (related to the sea goddess traditionally worshipped in the cross-Straits area) is similar to that of my hometown, and I guess that's when I had the idea of pursuing a career on the mainland," Liu said.

    Liu has a clear idea of how the museum should develop.

    First, he hopes there will be more collaborations with other science and technology museums in the country, so more people will be able to learn about crabs.

    He will also digitalize the current collections, and allow future visitors close observation of the habitats and habits of crabs through virtual and augmented reality technologies.

    Liu also hopes to collect many more specimens so he can open more museums nationwide.

    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
     
    区三区激情福利综合中文字幕在线一区亚洲视频1 | 中文字幕无码久久久| 亚洲日韩中文无码久久| 开心久久婷婷综合中文字幕| 中文字幕日韩在线| 日韩精品一区二三区中文 | 精品人妻系列无码人妻免费视频 | 无码人妻精品一区二区三区99仓本 | 国产精品一级毛片无码视频| 人妻少妇无码精品视频区| 岛国无码av不卡一区二区| 中文亚洲欧美日韩无线码| 五月天中文字幕mv在线女婷婷五月| 成在人线av无码免费高潮水| 国偷自产短视频中文版| 中文字幕在线看日本大片| 中文字幕乱码人妻无码久久| 国产高清无码视频| 亚洲国产综合精品中文字幕| 性色欲网站人妻丰满中文久久不卡| 国产欧美日韩中文字幕 | 亚洲国产av无码精品| 久久久久无码精品国产不卡 | 伊人蕉久中文字幕无码专区| 国产午夜无码精品免费看 | 波多野结AV衣东京热无码专区| 欧美日韩毛片熟妇有码无码| 久久久久亚洲精品中文字幕 | 亚洲一日韩欧美中文字幕欧美日韩在线精品一区二 | AV成人午夜无码一区二区| 色窝窝无码一区二区三区成人网站 | 最新无码A∨在线观看| 亚洲精品无码乱码成人| 成人无码小视频在线观看| 手机永久无码国产AV毛片| 无码国内精品人妻少妇 | 人妻精品久久无码区| 日韩乱码人妻无码系列中文字幕| 性无码专区无码片| 精品一区二区三区无码免费视频 | 亚洲AV无码乱码国产麻豆|