Sandworms hide in the mud, and pulling them out means wealth

Program highlights: A worm that lives by the sea on Naozhou Island. It was once a rare delicacy for the locals. But he unexpectedly learned from people off the island about an unexpected business opportunity in this worm. However, he never imagined that artificial breeding would not be so easy. See how Huang Zhihong on Naozhou Island in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, relies on sandworms to lead the island villagers to prosperity together.

This is Naozhou Island, located in the eastern waters of Leizhou Bay. It is about 40 km from the urban area of Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. Naozhou Island is surrounded by sea on all sides, and vehicles traveling to and from Zhanjiang can only take a ferry.

As soon as the reporter arrived, Huang Zhihong could not wait to take us to the seaside to dig for a kind of worm. He said that if we waited a little longer until the tide came in, we would not be able to dig any up.

Reporter: It's hidden under this kind of big rock, right?

Huang Zhihong: This kind of rock.

Reporter: Which kind? This kind?

Huang Zhihong: This kind, yes.

Reporter: Can this (inside the rock) be dug out?

Huang Zhihong: Yes, just use that kind of shovel to pry open (the rock).

Huang Zhihong said that finding this kind of worm depends on luck, and we did not know whether our luck today would be good.

Huang Zhihong: Let's dig a bit and try.

Reporter: Here?

Huang Zhihong: See if we can find one.

After turning over the rocks a few times, Huang Zhihong found that there was nothing under this rock. Huang Zhihong suggested taking the reporter to a place closer to the sea to take a look.

Huang Zhihong: See if we can find one around here.

Reporter: Why are there so many holes on this rock?

Reporter: Right.

Huang Zhihong: It is rock (formed) after a volcanic eruption.

Reporter: There are none here. I did not even see one.

Huang Zhihong: There are none here. It is hard to say. Here. There is one here.

Reporter: Where is there one? I did not see it.

Huang Zhihong: Here, it has run inside.

Reporter: It has drilled into the hole?

Huang Zhihong: Yes, poke it, get it out.

Reporter: Pull it like this?

Huang Zhihong: Pulling it like this will break it.

Reporter: I do not dare to move.

Huang Zhihong: You have to get its head out first. You also have to grab its head.

Reporter: Grab the head, but the head has gone inside. How do you grab it?

Huang Zhihong: It's fine.

Reporter: You cannot pull it like this, right?

Huang Zhihong: Pulling it like this will break it.

Reporter: It will break.

Huang Zhihong: Open it a little like this first. Look, it will come out like this.

Reporter: This is its head. You get it out. I do not dare to move. Does this bite people?

Huang Zhihong: How could such a small one bite people?

Although we saw the worm, getting it out still required prying open the mud and rocks very carefully.

Reporter: It went in. It ran inside. Won't you hammer it to death like this?

Huang Zhihong: It still has a section crawling inside the hole.

Reporter: This is really hard to catch.

Huang Zhihong: Yes, it (lives) inside the rock, so it is hard to catch.

Reporter: It's out, it's out.

Huang Zhihong: It's out.

What Huang Zhihong was looking for was exactly this kind of worm.

Reporter: It is so thin and reddish. Is this what you were talking about? What is it called?

Huang Zhihong: It is also a sandworm.

Reporter: Sandworm?

Huang Zhihong: It is the kind that grows in rocks.

Reporter: This one is so thin.

Huang Zhihong: Yes, it grows inside rocks. There is no way around it.

Reporter: It shrinks as soon as you touch it. It has so many legs. Can you see them? So many legs. Here, can you see them? Can you see them? So many legs, very much like a centipede.

Huang Zhihong: Sea centipede. It also has a name, sea centipede.

Huang Zhihong told the reporter that although this worm is covered with legs and looks a little scary, in the eyes of some villagers on the island, it is quite a good delicacy.

In the village, the reporter met an older man. He was just about to cook sandworms to eat, but as soon as they went into the pot, the reporter got a fright.

Reporter: Why did this soup turn green?

Older man: It is green.

Reporter: The soup is green?

Older man: Green. This soup is cooling, and it is good for the eyes.

Soon, the older man came out carrying the cooked sandworms. Because of this plate of sandworms, several people in the house were drawn outside.

Reporter: You are eating it so deliciously.

Villager: It is delicious in itself.

Villager: This thing itself is a tasty food.

As he spoke, the older man began urging the reporter to eat some too. The reporter decided to pull off a small piece and taste it.

Reporter: Why can't this be pulled apart?

Villager: Right. It is a bit chewy, a bit resilient, and has no real flavor. Isn't it tasty? You feel it is very good (to eat), right? You feel it looks a bit scary.

Reporter: The taste is a bit like a snail.

Villager: Yes. Much better than a snail.

Reporter: No, I still can't eat too much. I see you eating one after another.

Villager: When you look at it, you get scared, and in your heart you (fear) it, so it seems you do not dare to eat it, but it is very good when you eat it.

This worm was originally just a rare delicacy for the villagers, yet it made Huang Zhihong's fortune. Five years ago, off the island, he learned of an unexpected value in sandworms, and this value can let sandworms be sold to Japan and even Europe. Huang Zhihong also gained wealth that fishermen on the island could not believe.

This 14-mu breeding base is Huang Zhihong's sandworm farm. Here, the reporter finally saw the sandworms he raises.

Huang Zhihong: Look at this big worm. This is what we are raising now, more than 100 per jin.

Reporter: It is really big. How long is this?

Huang Zhihong: About 20 cm.

Reporter: I do not dare to touch it.

Huang Zhihong: 20 cm. Measure it. Isn't it more than 20 cm?

Reporter: It is longer than my hand.