Farming Shajing oysters

Oysters are a member of the bivalve class and are called haoli or muli in Chinese. They are found in warm and temperate saltwater environments, and are plentiful at river estuaries. Oyster meat is tender and nutritious, oyster shell lime can be used in farming, and oysters can be used in medicine. The history of oyster farming in Shenzhen can be traced back to the Jin dynasty. During the Song dynasty, Jingkang oysters were farmed in Jingkang and Guide (located near modern day Shajingzhen). In the Ming and Qing dynasty, oysters were still farmed, but they were called Shajing oysters and were renowned far and wide. In New Writings from Guangdong (Guangdong Xinyu), volume 23, Qu Dajun, a scholar, wrote, “Dongguan and Xin’an have fields of oysters similar to those in Longxuezhou. Heat stones until they are hot, toss them in the water, and oysters will grow on them. Take the stones to get the oysters, heat them until they are hot again, and throw them into the sea. Thus two throws can result in two harvests. …This is known as farming oysters.”