Crickets, Walnuts and More in Qingta Hutong (2)

As one Chinese woman browsed the crickets with her husband, a vendor pulled the insects out of toilet paper rolls with newspaper over the ends. He'd display one for a few seconds before roughly tossing it back in and pulling out another to show the couple.

The woman looked up from the merchandise to explain, "These katydids aren't for fighting; they're for singing. Crickets are for fighting. These insects make sounds for us to listen to." She paused to try and discern the sound of one particular cricket before adding, "The tradition of keeping crickets has a long history. The sound of katydids is really annoying in the summer, but in winter we hold them near our chest and keep them alive for fun."

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