A whole range of varieties of crabs vie for the food lover's attention during these months: green crabs, giant crabs, little soft-shelled crabs… as well as hairy crabs. These freshwater shellfish, a specialty of Shanghai, are steamed and enjoyed in soups or salads, as appetizers and hors-d'oeuvres, and are a staple on both Chinese and western-style menus throughout the autumn.

Chase away the winter cold with a steaming bowl of a traditional snake soup or stew, famous winter tonics. Or take over the cooking duties yourself with a hot pot: choose the ingredients and simmer them yourself in a pot of meat stock and vegetables. This is the perfect season for invigorating restorative dishes, like swallow's nest, snake, turtle, staghead fungus and ginseng.

Thirteen kilometres from Hong Kong, the tiny island of Cheung Chou long played a central role in this region's trade. However the arrival of the British over 150 years ago dealt a blow to Cheung Chou. At the time the island had a population of almost 70,000 inhabitants; today it has only half that number. Despite the loss of its former importance as a commercial centre, Cheung Chou still boasts one of the biggest and most colourful festivals in the territory: the Bun Festival. The island's economy is still dominated by fishing and every April or May, the residents host a week-long celebration in honour of Pak Tai, the Emperor of the North who reigns over the ocean depths. Before the new fishing season opens, the villagers build three 16-metre tall bamboo towers and cover them with thousands of steamed buns. The population of Hong Kong is invited over for six days of religious ceremonies, opera and town parades. After the famished gods and spirits have been sated, those in attendance share the leftovers from the divine banquet and inaugurate a new year with wishes for peace, abundant fishing and full bellies: a period of plenty that will last, it is hoped, until the next bun festival.

The moon festival, a cousin of the harvest festivals of western countries, is the backdrop for one of the most magical nights of the year. The festival commemorates the people's revolt against the Mongols. Legend has it that the call to revolt was distributed to all compatriots on a thin piece of paper, rolled up and slipped into a cake.

That is why during the festival it is traditional to bake "Moon Cakes" made of ground lotus and sesame. Stores sell animal-shaped lanterns and whole families seek out the highest points on the island to wait for the fall full moon to appear. At that moment, the lanterns are illuminated everywhere around, and the moon cakes are eaten.