Chinese people have a long history for eating crabs which can be dated back to the era of Zhou Dynasty. Even today, in mid-autumn day, it is still a great enjoyment of the people to taste crabs, drink wine, give poetry recital and appreciate chrysanthemum. The crab is recognized delicacy not only because of its palatable taste, but also for its nutritious, high-protein supplement for nourishing the body. No wander that a saying is widespread in the civil society: "a crab substitutes a table of food".

Among more than 500 kinds of crabs, Chinese Mitten Crab is one of the most well-known species, mainly produced in the freshwater systems alongside the coastline of eastern China. In all those production areas, a place named Yangcheng Lake has always been the most prestigious for producing "the king crab of China" – Yangcheng Lake Mitten Crab. It also has long enjoyed reputation abroad, known as the "Chinese gold mitten crab."

The characteristics of Yangcheng Lake crabs, the plump meat and tender tasty, lie in the special ecological environment. Located in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Yangcheng Lake has an open area coving hundred miles radius, with high quality and shallow water, hard bottom, lush plants, as well as proper climate, constructing a crystal palace for the growth of crab settlers. Therefore, the Yangcheng Lake crab has big difference with other families in terms of the morphology and meal. Four major characteristics can be used to distinguish them: First, cyan back. Crab shells are smooth and shiny and close to a green-clay’s color; Second, white belly. Navel belly crustacean is crystal white without ink spots; Third, yellow hair. Crab legs are long, yellow haired, tall and straight; Fourth, golden claws. Crab claws are golden, firm and strong, on the glass, eight feet upright, double-chelating vacated, navel back uplift, and spirited.

As the currency of freshwater crabs place to place, a large number of other species influx in to Yangcheng Lake and cross-fertilize with the locals, which has seriously affected the quality of the crabs. However, experts find that in the thousands miles away Netherlands there is still a thoroughbred of the Chinese mitten crab. It turned out that more than 100 years ago a trading port, Shanghai Wusongkou parked many merchant ships of countries. In order to increase stability in freighter, the ballast water tanks were filled with water, when the initial Crab with the ballast water got into the ocean-going vessel. Passed across seas the ships came to Europe, since there were no rivers deep enough to the moment, they had the ship ballast water discharged so that the hulls floated and then continued with their navigation. The Mitten Crab took the opportunity to have access to the Rhine, the Thames and other river systems to settle down. Now experts are engaged in the introduction of pure-bred crabs and the related development works. Interestingly, the crabs are pests in the Netherlands, where no one eats crabs.