According to Chinese fables, crickets are revered for their intelligence and good fortune. In fact, if a person were to harm a cricket, it was believed that they would have great misfortune. Even today, in parts of eastern Asian, the male crickets are caged so people can enjoy the song they make.

Chinese farmers were known to listen to the “Jing-Zhe,” meaning “waking of the insects” sounds of the crickets to determine when it was time to plough their fields.