CHANGCHUN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Wang Xue, a resident of Beijing, booked a Russian king crab for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. She saw on the logistics app on the morning of Feb. 15 that the crab had already departed from the airport in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.
Wang was eagerly awaiting the feast, where this impressive king crab would be the centerpiece of the table, bringing good fortune and a prosperous start to the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, which fell on Feb. 17 this year.
The king crab ordered by Wang was shipped from Hunchun City in Jilin, a major import hub for the crab in China. Located next to the Russian Far East, Hunchun imports more than 1.5 million live king crabs annually, representing over 70 percent of China's total imports.
In the lead-up to the Spring Festival, the Hunchun port entered its busiest period of the year. A steady stream of refrigerated trucks laden with live king crabs crossed the border and, after efficient customs clearance, were quickly dispatched to various parts of China.
Zhang Xiaofei, head of Hunchun Linsheng Trading Co., Ltd., a company engaged in the king crab import business, said that with surging market demand before the Spring Festival, the average daily import volume had increased by about 30 percent compared to the usual number. "During peak periods, 30 to 40 refrigerated trucks carrying king crabs enter the country each day," Zhang said.
Hunchun Customs has launched a "green channel" and round-the-clock inspection by appointment to ensure the quality of live aquatic products such as king crabs, significantly reducing customs clearance time.
Wang Kaichao, 31, runs a seafood shop in Hunchun that mainly sells Russian seafood products, including king crabs. During the final week before the Spring Festival holiday, he arrived at the shop at 3 or 4 a.m. each morning, preparing shipments to destinations across the country.
"We shipped out about 200 to 300 orders a day, totaling around one tonne of king crabs," Wang said. He noted that more Chinese people are now aware that Russian king crabs are shipped via Hunchun, which is driving a growing customer base. This year's pre-Spring Festival sales have nearly doubled compared to last year, with products mainly going to first-tier coastal destinations such as Guangdong and Shanghai.
Demand for high-quality seafood in China's consumer market continues to heat up. According to customs data, in 2025, Hunchun Customs supervised the import of 28,000 tonnes of live crabs and other aquatic food products, a year-on-year increase of 13.4 percent, contributing to local foreign trade growth and consumption upgrading.
Efficient customs clearance reduces overall operating costs for enterprises, allowing king crabs to enter the market at better prices and in fresher condition. Fast logistics then enable the crabs to be conveniently transported across China.
The period around the Spring Festival marks the peak season for king crab consumption. Anticipating a surge in transport demand, Changchun airport made detailed arrangements, including cargo acceptance and space allocation, as well as vehicle scheduling and staffing.
Meanwhile, the airport has enhanced its cold-chain logistics capabilities by building a temporary holding center for cold-water seafood. Located in the airport's cargo area, the center features 16 aquaculture tanks and provides services including centralized procurement of cold-water seafood, temporary holding at the airport, and air cold-chain transportation.
This initiative removes the limitation that cold-water seafood shipments could only be delivered on the same day upon arrival at the airport. The products can now be temporarily held at the airport before delivery or transfer, as required by the customer.
According to local authorities, Russian king crabs are now also being shipped to destinations including Hong Kong via flights from Changchun. Specifically, the crabs are transported from Russia's Zarubino port to Hunchun, then transferred to Changchun, before being airlifted to the metropolis using Hainan Airlines' newly launched Changchun-Hong Kong route. ■
