Wang Baohe

Wang Baohe is said to have opened in 1744 in the early Qing, beginning as a shop trading Shaoxing yellow wine and later winning renown across Shanghai for its hairy-crab banquets—hence the epithet "ancestor of wine, king of crabs."

Each golden autumn crab season, Wang Baohe's all-crab banquet is a tradition sought after by Shanghai diners; pairing the crab feast with aged Shaoxing wine epitomises the seasonal sensibility of Shanghai's food culture.

The house is known for selecting plump lake crabs and well-aged yellow wine; its steaming, wine-curing and dipping methods follow old Jiangnan ways that prize the crab's natural sweetness.