CHI Qiang, now in his 40s and 20-something Wang Huan differ in age, occupation and personality. But when it comes to crickets, it's hard to tell the two apart.

Both men have been addicts of the popular Chinese sport of cricket fighting and breeding since they were kids. Recently, they were among a group of cricket buffs who donated collections of their personal cricket paraphernalia to the newly opened Cricket House (Xishuai Caotang) in the old town of Minhang.

The pavilion at 37 Fuqiang Street houses about 400 ceramic cricket pots, cricket-breeding containers and cricket houses. It is a must-see exhibition for those obsessed with cricket fighting and an interesting stop for people just curious to see what all the fuss is about.

The pots have intricate designs featuring patterns of bamboo, chrysanthemum and plum blossoms - beloved subjects of Chinese poets and painters. Most of the pots date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The oldest piece is from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

"Pots made in China's north are thicker than those produced in southern regions because temperature usually differs greatly between day and night in northern regions," said Wang.

"The best temperature for crickets is about 26 degrees Celsius, and they like a dry environment," Wang explained.

Wang, who works in information technology and is extrovert and enthusiastic, and Chi, who works at an engineering machinery agency and is quieter, handle most of the operation and maintenance of the pavilion on a volunteer basis.

They are only too happy to share their love of cricketing with anyone who comes through the door.

A lot of history and folklore surround cricket fighting in China.

The Lumu Village in Suzhou is famed for its long tradition of making high-quality, well-ventilated cricket pots. A new pot must be dipped in green tea first and kept in a refrigerator overnight. Then it is exposed to sunlight until it dries and turns white. Finally, it is moved indoors and placed in air-conditioning to cool down. Summer is the best season to wash cricket pots.

Pots should have close seals because light entices crickets to jump out, which risks hurting their teeth and diminishing their fighting ability, Wang said.

Several sets of containers for water and food are on display in the pavilion. Shaped like mini-bowls, the containers are crafted from the porcelain of Jingdezhen, China's porcelain capital. Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, the bowls are decorated in delicate blue-and-white or in colorful patterns ranging from flowers and beautiful ladies to goldfish and tigers. Some of them bear the names of eras of production, like Emperor Qianlong (1736-95).

Feeding crickets is also part of the art of breeding. Wang said crickets thrive on rice, beans and small insects. Some connoisseurs feed their "pets" a bit of shrimp or even an extract juice from celery to strengthen their bodies and improve their fighting abilities. Some collect dew between 4am and 5am to feed crickets.

The more ardent of aficionados even bathe their crickets. Both females and males are put in the same wash tub. The males seem to prefer conjugal bathing.

Pavilion exhibits

Among other items on display at the pavilion are nets used to scoop crickets out of the pots, shovels used to dig for crickets, bamboo tubes and wood boxes that make good cricket homes, reeds of grass used to spur crickets to fight and transparent boxing rings. There are also handwritten books about the techniques of cricket selection, breeding and fighting, and even tools used to sterilize male crickets in case their territorial instincts run amok.

Crickets are allegoric to perfume, and floral-scented water makes them get dizzy, Wang said.

The Cricket House also exhibits a variety of cricket specimens, including tieshaqing, the most famous species of cricket in Minhang District's Qibao town, known for its aggressiveness.

Qibao has played a prominent role in the long history of cricket-fighting, establishing a reputation for the fiercest fighters. According to legend, Qibao's crickets trace their ancestry back to a visit to the area by Emperor Qianlong, who happened to be carrying prize crickets in his entourage. When the official procession passed through Qibao, the horses stumbled and all the crickets escaped to the nearby fields.

In July and August, the usually tranquil counties of Ningyang and Ningjin in Shandong Province are filled with chirping, and the trains departing the popular cricket-hunting grounds are packed with cricket traders and fanatics. Shandong is the home of China's most celebrated insect fighters.

Chi visits Shandong every year to buy crickets, while Wang buys his critters at local markets because of job constraints. Each man said he breeds between 100 and 150 crickets at home.

Normally, male crickets are priced from 10 yuan (US$1.50) to 100 yuan, depending on size and weight, species and anatomy. The most expensive cricket sold for 40,000 yuan last year, according to Wang.

Cricket fighting is especially popular in the Yangtze River Delta region.

"Cricket selection is difficult," Wang said. "It's hard to tell whether the critter you choose will be a good fighter. But there are a few guidelines. Sometimes the one with loudest chirp is not the fiercest fighter. You need a cricket with big jaws, strong legs, straight antenna and hard teeth."

Each species is a bit different. Some are considered smarter than others and seem able to wear their rivals' energy down with uncanny patience before delivering a fatal blow.

Other more ornery cusses are just very fierce by nature and don't rely on tricks or strategy in combat.

"The worse the environment, the fiercer the cricket," Want said. Just like humans, crickets like a safe, cozy environment, he added.

August and September, particularly at the time of bailu, or white dew, around September 7-9, is the peak season for cricket fighting. A cricket competition will be held in the new cricket pavilion in September, Wang said.

Before two cricket combatants are let loose in a transparent plastic boxing ring, each is weighed to ensure an equal fight.

A reed of grass is used to stimulate the combatants' territorial instincts. The crickets engage in a one-minute warm-up exercise and then start chirping to signal that the battle is engaged. The real fight begins. The insects bite each other with their powerful jaws.

The fight usually lasts three rounds, each lasting one or two minutes. A defeated cricket may flee or retreat. If both refuse to admit defeat, the victory goes to the one with the loudest chirp.

A cricket's life span is short, average about 100 days. By October, the insects die off and the cricket-fighting season ends.

Wang and Chi are following in the footsteps of centuries of ancestors.

Cricket fighting dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and gained popularity during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It is said that lonely imperial concubines kept chirping crickets as pets.

Jia Sidao (1213-75), a Song Dynasty chancellor known for his corruption and incompetence, was said to be a fancier of cricket fighting. He told his servants not to bother him, no matter what happened, when he was playing crickets.

Legend has it that Jia ordered a neighbor's house to be demolished after one of his crickets fled there. He even wrote a book about how to select and raise crickets.