Tongjiang Fish Banquet 同江鱼宴

Tongjiang Fish Banquet (同江鱼宴) brings several Hezhe-style fish preparations to the same table in Tongjiang (同江), where the Heilongjiang River (黑龙江) and Songhua River (松花江) meet. The city’s integrated media centre describes long-established fish restaurants filling up when the rivers open after winter, with fish caught in the morning reaching diners at lunchtime.

A table of different preparations

The local menu includes shashengyu (刹生鱼), grilled talaha (塔拉哈), pan-fried fish pieces, stewed river fish, steamed aohua fish (鳌花) and fried maha fish (马哈鱼). The same large fish can be used in several ways, bringing sour and spicy flavours, browned aromas and tender textures to one meal.

The river-opening season

Tongjiang’s May 2026 account places the banquet in the spring river-opening season. During that year’s May Day holiday, meals of freshly caught fish accompanied activities presenting Hezhe fishing and hunting culture, including fish-skin clothing displays and Yimakan storytelling (伊玛堪).