Summer brings the arrival of the crawfish season, turning Nanxian county into a bustling hub of activity. Situated in the hinterland of Dongting Lake, China's second-largest freshwater lake, Nanxian is known for its abundant water resources. It boasts an impressive average daily yield of 850 tonnes of crawfish.

The morning ushers in a flurry of activity in Nanxian's aquatic trade, with local farms taking their catch to market.

"The combination of fertile soil, abundant water, and suitable climate greatly contributes to the exceptional quality of our crawfish," said Peng Liu, the manager of a crawfish market. Dedicated to his work, Peng routinely greets the sunrise at the market, where he waits for deliveries from local farms.

"Upon receiving the crawfish from the farmers, we will carefully sort them and send the fresh ones to markets in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities across China, as well as to some local food processing plants," Peng said.

In Shunxiang Food Co Ltd in Nanxian county, the crawfish on the production line undergo a systematic sorting process using machines that categorize them based on their size. The crawfish then move through a series of automated or semi-automated procedures, such as ultrasonic cleaning, steaming, cooling, stir-frying and mixing with various seasonings. Finally, they are packaged into pre-prepared food products with different flavors.

"Our company's crawfish products include crawfish tails, whole crawfish and various other lines, with an annual export value expected to exceed $20 million," said Liu Qunze, deputy general manager of the company.