Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years

People in the village of Zisiqiao in Zhejiang Province, eastern China, have had more than 40 years of snake farming. More than 80% of the villagers participate in this special industry. The South China Morning Post has an interesting reportage here.

Picture 1 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Zisiqiao village workers in China feed millions of snakes each year to supply raw materials for traditional Chinese medicine.

Picture 2 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Snake soaked wine is on display at Yang Farong snake farm in Zisiqiao village.The wines here are very diverse and advertised with good health effects.

Picture 3 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Yang Xiaoxia, a Chinese medical university graduate, placed a plastic bag containing a snake that is laying eggs in a sand-covered room - the ideal breeding ground for the reptile.

Picture 4 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Snake eggs are covered with sand to incubate at Yang Farong snake farm in Zisiqiao village.

Picture 5 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
A snake Mandarinus Euprepiophis (often called Chinese rat snake) is crawling up a cluster of lotus water in the pond.

Picture 6 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Yang Xiaoxia checks the quality of snake eggs at the family's solid farm.

Picture 7 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Snake Trimeresurus stejnegeri (commonly called Chinese green snake) crawls on bamboo culms.

Picture 8 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Yang Hongchang, nicknamed "snake king" , took pictures with an Euprepiophis mandarin snake.

Picture 9 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
A curled, dried snake specimen is displayed in the village of Zisiqiao.

Picture 10 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Although some villagers have switched to fish farming or weaving silk scarves, snake trade is still the most popular occupation in Zisiqiao.

Picture 11 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
All snakes are usually pulverized or mixed with alcohol to process drugs to remedy skin inflammation, joint pain .

Picture 12 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
While snakes have long played an important role in traditional Chinese medicine industry since ancient times, new products made from snakes such as jewelry, fashion towels . are also increasingly develope.

Picture 13 of Shivered with the village raising thousands of solid flocks for 40 years
Some villagers Zisiqiao are now worried about the development of this industry, especially for the environment and social issues.