The best hairy crabs come from Yangcheng Lake, which is almost a national consumer perception. Yangcheng Lake's fame stems from the local government's encouragement policies and careful packaging after the reform and opening up, and it has taken the lead in the market. However, in terms of quality, in the hairy crab breeding area of the Yangtze River Delta with the same climatic conditions, the water quality of Yangcheng Lake is not optimal, and the breeding technology is not at the forefront. Only by moving the hairy crabs of Yangcheng Lake from the altar can we see the light of the hairy crabs in other production areas that are covered by the three words "bathing crab".
 
The Gucheng Lake hairy crab, which is now hidden behind the hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake, has always been known as the crown of crabs, and was recognized as a national geographical indication protected product in 2007. In 2009, Gucheng Lake also became the first well-known trademark in China in the category of aquatic products, and is a "model brand of Chinese mitten crab".
 
Compared with Yangcheng Lake, which has a strong commercial atmosphere, the low-key Gucheng Lake has deeper qualifications. It is China's first national-level comprehensive demonstration area for standardized production of Chinese mitten crabs, and has the first state-level Yangtze River original Chinese mitten crab seed farm. From crab seedlings to adult crabs, Gucheng Lake implements ecological farming, and the bait is accurately ingredient by professional practitioners according to the different growth periods and weather conditions of crabs to meet the needs of high protein, moderate fat and reasonable fiber intake.
 
Gucheng Lake is located in Gaochun District, Nanjing, which is densely packed with lakes and ponds, which provides the best conditions for ecological aquaculture. Gaochun District is China's first international slow city, with "three mountains, two rivers and five fields", rich in ecological resources, few industrial activities, and the environmental quality index has always been in the forefront of Jiangsu Province. In the first half of 2018, the water quality of Gucheng Lake ranked first among the 13 provincial lakes in Jiangsu Province. Under the dual guarantee of breeding technology and environment, Gucheng Lake has obtained the first organic crab certification and the first "crab ecological breeding standard" certification in China.
 
As of the end of December 2018, the lake purse seine has been completely dismantled, and the existing 232,500 acres of crab breeding area are all outside the lake surface or ponds, and the pond water is drawn from Gucheng Lake. In fact, the core of hairy crab farming lies in the breeding technology, local environment and water quality, and has little to do with lake or pond culture. Because pond culture is more convenient for fine management, the quality of adult crabs will even be better than that of lake crabs.
 
The brand building of Gucheng Lake has begun as early as 2000, registered with Gaochun County Collective Assets Management Co., Ltd., and operated by the local government. Although the government and aquatic associations are not strong in publicity, but the important thing is to strictly control, real-time monitoring of the breeding process, the whole process of traceability, hairy crabs also have a unified purchase of supply and marketing cooperatives, crab farmers do not have to seek their own sales. The farmers have a high degree of integration, and Gucheng Lake is steady and steady, gradually competing with the hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake.
 
In 2017, SF Express built the "Huinong Yuncang" crab service center in Gaochun District, which can process nearly 40,000 orders per day, and it only takes 3 hours for hairy crabs to fly to Shenzhen at the earliest. In 2018, Tmall and Jingdong opened a green channel for Gucheng Lake, and hairy crabs purchased online can be delivered within 6-24 hours nationwide. If you want to avoid the risk of dead crabs in online shopping, Gucheng Lake has more than 500 stores across the country, which can be picked up in more than 150 large and medium-sized cities across the country.
 
Although not as famous as Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, Gucheng Lake hairy crabs enjoy a high reputation in Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. In 2018, affected by the continuous high temperature and little rain, the overall harvest of hairy crabs in Jiangsu was good, and 5 taels of male crabs and 4 taels of female crabs in Gucheng Lake could be bought for 130 yuan, and the retail price of 3 taels of male crabs and 2 taels of female crabs was also as low as 30 yuan. However, due to the El Niño phenomenon in 2019, severe flooding may occur in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the price of hairy crabs is expected to rise.