With Chinese Valentine’s Day, also known as Qixi festival, less than a month away, hundreds of Taobao vendors are selling live fireflies on China’s largest e-commerce market, hoping to cater to the needs of romance seekers.
“You can either release the fireflies with your girlfriend under moonlight or release them on wedding nights,” say the instructions. The seller also encourages buyers to use fireflies at children's bithday parties.
Fireflies are being sold for 3 to 5 yuan (HK$4 to HK$6) each on Taobao. Some shops require buyers to purchase a minimum of 50.
A Yunnan-based seller said on its Taobao site that all of its fireflies were raised on a farm in southeast China's Jiangxi province. The seller told the South China Morning Post that it "guarantees" the insects will survive shipping - even if they are transported to faraway Hong Kong.