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Jiminy Cricket! Jiading wins!
By Lu Xiaofeng and Xu Wei |
November 29, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
JIADING District's team took top honors at the National Cricket Fighting Contest held recently in Chongming County.
The competition lasted three days, with 15 teams from all over the country vying for the first place. It was the eighth time Chongming hosted the famous contest, and this year's event attracted a record number of nearly 100 participants and a large crowd of "bug fans."
So how did the Jiading team do it?
We talked with three team members to find out: Ji Linhai, Cao Jinfu and Ling Junwei.
Ji, who attended the competition for a third year, said it was a tough challenge.
He started his preparations in July, soon after registering for the event. In early August, he asked fellow cricket hunters to try to catch the insects in Ningyang, Shandong Province, a place famous for its hardy cricket species. In 10 days they caught just 20 crickets.
"It all depended on luck," Ji said. "Sometimes they caught dozens of crickets in one night, but only one or two of them were strong enough for the competition."
Then Ji and Ling left for Ningyang on their own. After inspecting 300 or so candidates, they brought home 200 crickets. After more than 40 days of breeding, 53 crickets were selected to compete.
Ji won the fourth and third places in the previous two competitions. This year he was determined to go for the top.
"It took me a long time to achieve my goal, and my dream has finally come true," he said proudly.
The cricket is often called the "100-day bug" because it has a short life span of just over three months.
Cricket-fighting has long followed the rhythms of nature. It usually starts in July, hits its peak around the Mid-Autumn Festival and concludes in late November.
Ji's apartment at Gemdale Green World has become a paradise for bugs, with more than 50 cricket pots on the floor of the living room.
"Look, this one is so good!" Ling yelled. He started teasing the insect's antenna with a blade of grass. The cricket chirped but didn't move.
"This cricket belongs to a species called hongyabai," Ling explained. "It has an imposing bearing just like a general."
Female crickets, though they aren't competitors, are crucial to the sport.
"Only after mating do the male crickets become more aggressive and prepared for a fierce fight," Cao said.
Crickets need to be kept in a room with good ventilation to ward off bacteria, he added. Competitor insects are fed with a special diet.
There are an estimated 100 or more cricket enthusiasts in Jiading District.
Cao, 58, used to live in Xuhui District. He is also among the earliest groups of people in Shanghai to engage in cricket-fighting.
"Cricket fighting has been a popular pastime for a long time, as common as our childhood longtang (alley) games," he said.
In 1981, for employment reasons, Cao moved to Jiading, where he met people who shared his interest. They would frequently meet to watch cricket matches. Due to his many years' dedication to the sport, Cao is chairman of the Jiading District Cricket Association.
Compared with his companions, the 39-year-old Ji is a newcomer. In 2002, he took up cricket matches as a hobby and has spent years improving his skills. He still doesn't regard himself a veteran in the field.
Cricket enthusiasts come from all walks of life, including university professors, retired workers and company owners.
"It cost us 50,000 yuan (US$7,460) to prepare for this competition, and the top prize is only 10,000 yuan," Ji said.
"A lot of people tend to associate cricket fighting with gambling," he added. "However, we do it purely for fun and for the friendships we make."
The district's cricket association is not a formal group, but Ji said he hopes someday that it will bring together all cricket fans in Jiading.
"Cricket-fighting is a traditional folk custom," Cao said. "We hope that we can attract more young people, otherwise this sport may die out in 10 years."
The competition lasted three days, with 15 teams from all over the country vying for the first place. It was the eighth time Chongming hosted the famous contest, and this year's event attracted a record number of nearly 100 participants and a large crowd of "bug fans."
So how did the Jiading team do it?
We talked with three team members to find out: Ji Linhai, Cao Jinfu and Ling Junwei.
Ji, who attended the competition for a third year, said it was a tough challenge.
He started his preparations in July, soon after registering for the event. In early August, he asked fellow cricket hunters to try to catch the insects in Ningyang, Shandong Province, a place famous for its hardy cricket species. In 10 days they caught just 20 crickets.
"It all depended on luck," Ji said. "Sometimes they caught dozens of crickets in one night, but only one or two of them were strong enough for the competition."
Then Ji and Ling left for Ningyang on their own. After inspecting 300 or so candidates, they brought home 200 crickets. After more than 40 days of breeding, 53 crickets were selected to compete.
Ji won the fourth and third places in the previous two competitions. This year he was determined to go for the top.
"It took me a long time to achieve my goal, and my dream has finally come true," he said proudly.
The cricket is often called the "100-day bug" because it has a short life span of just over three months.
Cricket-fighting has long followed the rhythms of nature. It usually starts in July, hits its peak around the Mid-Autumn Festival and concludes in late November.
Ji's apartment at Gemdale Green World has become a paradise for bugs, with more than 50 cricket pots on the floor of the living room.
"Look, this one is so good!" Ling yelled. He started teasing the insect's antenna with a blade of grass. The cricket chirped but didn't move.
"This cricket belongs to a species called hongyabai," Ling explained. "It has an imposing bearing just like a general."
Female crickets, though they aren't competitors, are crucial to the sport.
"Only after mating do the male crickets become more aggressive and prepared for a fierce fight," Cao said.
Crickets need to be kept in a room with good ventilation to ward off bacteria, he added. Competitor insects are fed with a special diet.
There are an estimated 100 or more cricket enthusiasts in Jiading District.
Cao, 58, used to live in Xuhui District. He is also among the earliest groups of people in Shanghai to engage in cricket-fighting.
"Cricket fighting has been a popular pastime for a long time, as common as our childhood longtang (alley) games," he said.
In 1981, for employment reasons, Cao moved to Jiading, where he met people who shared his interest. They would frequently meet to watch cricket matches. Due to his many years' dedication to the sport, Cao is chairman of the Jiading District Cricket Association.
Compared with his companions, the 39-year-old Ji is a newcomer. In 2002, he took up cricket matches as a hobby and has spent years improving his skills. He still doesn't regard himself a veteran in the field.
Cricket enthusiasts come from all walks of life, including university professors, retired workers and company owners.
"It cost us 50,000 yuan (US$7,460) to prepare for this competition, and the top prize is only 10,000 yuan," Ji said.
"A lot of people tend to associate cricket fighting with gambling," he added. "However, we do it purely for fun and for the friendships we make."
The district's cricket association is not a formal group, but Ji said he hopes someday that it will bring together all cricket fans in Jiading.
"Cricket-fighting is a traditional folk custom," Cao said. "We hope that we can attract more young people, otherwise this sport may die out in 10 years."
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