AP PHOTOS: Hong Kong's snake soup is slithering away but still simmers in a decades-old kitchen

HONG KONG (AP) — As Hong Kong prepares to welcome the Year of the Snake on Wednesday, Chau Ka-ling displays a moving serpent with practiced ease, holding it like a pet in her decades-old restaurant in the city.

As one of the last keepers of the city’s traditional snake soup industry, Chau saves three live snakes for occasional display in wooden drawers that once housed more serpents for cooking. The cuisine she makes, long cherished in southern Chinese culture for keeping people warm in the winter, is slithering away.

Founded by Chau’s late father in the 1960s, Shia Wong Hip once slaughtered live snakes for its dishes. “Shia Wong” means “Snake King” in Cantonese.

Under her father’s guidance, Chau learned to catch and kill serpents and make soup, eventually becoming known as the city’s “Snake Queen.” A newspaper photo displayed on the wall captured her success in catching an over 2-meter-long venomous king cobra in 1997 at a marine police office in rural Hong Kong at the authorities’ request.

But the restaurant, alongside most of the city's other remaining snake soup shops, switched to using frozen snake meat from Southeast Asia after a 2003 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, killed 299 people in Hong Kong. Scientists have linked the virus's origin to wild animals.

Despite the change, preparing snake soup still takes a long time. The defrosted snake meat must be boiled for at least two hours to achieve the desired tenderness. After it cools, Chau debones it with a sharpened chopstick and tears it into thin pieces by hand.

The snake bones then are simmered with chicken and pork bones for at least six hours to make the soup base. Next, the broth is stewed with snake meat, shredded chicken, ham, fungus and mandarin orange peel before finally being thickened with starch.

When a bowl of soup is served, diners usually garnish it with lemon leaves and crispy chips.

Snake meat, which has a texture similar to chicken after cooking, is rich in protein and low in fat.

During the winter, Chau can sell up to 800 bowls a day ranging in price from $7 to $11. But that figure drops to 100 or less in the summer, when the soup is less popular.

Snake soup shops have closed after the COVID-19 pandemic and as older chefs retire, leaving only about 20 still in operation.

But Chau is determined to keep her business going as long as possible, though she is pessimistic about the industry's future.

She said even if her nephews wanted to join her, she would suggest they learn to make desserts instead.

“This is not a money-making industry and so I don’t see that any young people would like to get into it,” she said.

Associated Press news assistant Renee Tsang contributed to this report.

Old photos of the family-run snake soup restaurant owner Chau Ka-ling on display at their shop in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Chau Ka-ling, owner of the family-run snake soup restaurant, sits beside a pet snake at her shop in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Customers dine at the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Waiters serve food to customers at the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Customers dine at the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A waiter holds a bowl of snake soup at a restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Chau Ka-ling, owner of the family-run snake soup restaurant, pets her pet snake at her shop in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A jar of snake-infused liquor is displayed the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A waitress serves a customer at the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Chau Ka-ling, owner of the family-run snake soup restaurant, prepares snake soup in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Customers dine at the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A handwritten menu hangs on the wall inside the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People walk past the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Chau Ka-ling, owner of the family-run snake soup restaurant, skins a snake at her shop in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A pet snake crawls out from the cabinet at the family-run snake soup restaurant in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

PARIS (AP) — Striker Odsonne Édouard scored with a header in each half as Lens beat Nice 2-0 at home on Sunday to move back ahead of Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1.

Édouard gave surprise front-runner Lens a 15th-minute lead with a brilliant glancing header from Matthieu Udol's cross and nodded in another left-wing cross from Udol in the 57th.

It was a sixth straight French league win and ninth in 10 games for Lens.

The northern club is one point ahead of defending champion PSG after 16 rounds and five points ahead of third-placed Marseille and fourth-placed Lille, which are separated by goal difference after both won on Sunday.

Next weekend sees French Cup matches, before Ligue 1 resumes in early January.

“We'll try to stay there as long as possible. One thing is for certain: we will be top at Christmas, which is great for all the families and the people from the region," Lens coach Pierre Sage said. “Udol has assisted on three goals in two games. The first goal was amazing, the cross was good but the header was awesome."

Marseille stayed third by beating Monaco 1-0 at home after Lille had won 4-3 at Auxerre earlier Sunday.

Ligue 1 top scorer Mason Greenwood notched his 11th goal for Marseille this season with a curler into the top right corner from near the penalty spot, after being well set up by midfielder Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg in the 82nd.

Lamine Camara thought he had opened the scoring for Monaco shortly after halftime with a fine shot from just outside the penalty area. But the goal was ruled out for an earlier offside from Monaco forward Folarin Balogun.

Greenwood went close with a strike midway through the second half and made no mistake with his next chance.

Although Marseille remains an inconsistent side, fans have been entertained at Stade Velodrome under attack-minded coach Roberto De Zerbi. Statistician Opta said Marseille's 56 league goals scored in 2025 is its third highest home tally ever in a year.

The start of the match was delayed by a few minutes to clear the air after Marseille fans lit many flares in the stands.

it was a ninth straight defeat in all competitions for a Nice side in total disarray. The losing run is the longest in Nice's history.

Despite considerable backing from chemicals giant Ineos, which took over six years ago, Nice is unable to find the right formula and some fans have confronted the players.

Nice is 13th in Ligue 1 and also last in the Europa League group stage after losing all six games so far.

A chaotic match saw four players sent off — two from each side.

Lille led early on through Iceland midfielder Hakon Haraldsson but had central defender Nathan Ngoy sent off in the 39th, then conceded an equalizer when striker Lassine Sinayoko struck in the 57th.

Three minutes later, Auxerre defender Clément Apka was shown a second yellow card and both sides had 10 men.

Auxerre went ahead in the 66th when Lille center back Chancel Mbemba scored into his own net while trying to clear the ball.

A frantic spell followed.

Midfielder Nabil Bentaleb netted with a powerful strike to make it 2-2 in the 77th and Lille went in front moments later when 18-year-old substitute Soriba Diaoune grabbed his first career goal after replacing 39-year-old veteran Olivier Giroud — France's all-time leading scorer with 57 goals.

Auxerre equalized with a penalty from Sinayoko in the 83rd, only for Lille captain Benjamin André to hit what proved to be the winner three minutes after that.

The drama was not quite over.

Lille defender Romain Perraud and Auxerre midfielder Oussama El-Azzouzi were sent off shortly after for fighting on the touchline.

Czech midfielder Pavel Sulc's seventh goal of the season helped Lyon beat Le Havre 1-0 and move up to fifth place.

After Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif saved Issa Soumaré's penalty in the 38th minute, Sulc scored early in the second half with a diving header from Afonso Moreira's cross.

Strasbourg snapped a run of three straight league losses but could only draw 0-0 at home to Lorient.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Fans light flares before the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Monaco in Marseille, France, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Marseille's Nayef Aguerd, right, challenges with Monaco's Takumi Minamino during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Monaco in Marseille, France, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Marseille's Mason Greenwood celebrates scoring during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Monaco in Marseille, France, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Marseille's Mason Greenwood, center, runs past to Monaco's Caio Henrique, right, during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Monaco in Marseille, France, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)