Guangcun Sand Worms 光村沙虫
Guangcun Sand Worms is featured among the local specialties of Hainan.
Guangcun Sand Worms (光村沙虫) are marine worms from the tidal flats of Guangcun (光村), a town in Danzhou (儋州) on Hainan, where they are cooked either as a quick stir-fry or in soup.
Where it comes from
The worm is also called "hai changzi" (海肠子, "sea intestine"), and its zoological name is fangge xingchong (方格星虫). It lives in the sand and mud of coastal tidal flats, is about two cun (寸, a traditional Chinese inch) long and is shaped like a reed shoot. The Hainan provincial government describes the Guangcun flats as rich in tidal-flat resources and a plentiful source of the worm. Local fishermen say the best worms are caught on nights of a big moon, when they rise to the surface of the shallows to mate.
Speaking to Danzhou city media in 2022, the manager of the Guangcun Bay sandworm farming demonstration base explained why the bay suits the animal. The shore is gently sloping and the current is fairly slow, while the many rivers entering the sea create a zone of mixed fresh and salt water with a rich food chain, which supplies the diatoms the worm feeds on. He said Guangcun Bay worms are of good quality and in short supply all year. The Danzhou city government calls the worm a "calling card" (名片) of Danzhou's specialty industries.
The base, in Tunji village (屯积村) of Guangcun town, began studying the worm's habitat in 2010, and in 2015 it moved the worms from the open tidal flats into intensive farming in raised ponds on land. Workers there harvest by hosing away the sand until the plump worms show, then scooping them up with a net.
Flavour and texture
The Hainan provincial government describes Guangcun worms as moderate in size, with thick flesh that is crisp and tender, and calls sandworm a high-protein tonic food.
How it is made
At Guangcun the worm is usually cooked in one of two ways: quick, high-heat stir-frying (爆炒) or simmering in soup (煮汤). A prepared dish called three-colour sandworm (三色沙虫) has become well known across Hainan.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Steamed Hele crab 和乐蟹 →
Hele crab is another Hainan seafood sold under the name of the place it comes from; Guangcun Sand Worms are a tidal-flat worm rather than a crab, cooked by stir-frying or in soup.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-24. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.