Wuyuan Purse Red Carp 婺源荷包红鲤鱼

The fish

The Wuyuan county government describes a fish with a small head, a short tail, a high back and a round belly, orange-red all over. Its outline resembles a purse (荷包), which is where the name comes from, and the fish is also valued for its looks as an ornamental fish. The county gives its protein content as 20 per cent and its fat content as 3 per cent, and calls the flesh fine and tender and the taste fresh, a delicacy for banquets.

Where it comes from

The county dates the fish in Wuyuan to more than 300 years ago and tells this story. In the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty, Yu Maoheng (余懋衡) of Tuochuan (沱川) in Wuyuan was right vice minister of revenue in Nanjing (南京户部右侍郎). For his service on inspection duty, the Shenzong emperor (神宗) rewarded him with a few red fish from the imperial garden pond. When he retired home he had a stone vat carved to keep them in for people to see; the fish later bred and were given to relatives and neighbours, and over time they became a breed of their own in Wuyuan.

According to the county government, the national fisheries bureau (国家水产总局) listed Wuyuan Purse Red Carp as a national improved freshwater fish breed. In 1985 the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse (钓鱼台国宾馆) put it on its state-banquet menu, where it was praised by foreign heads of state, and in 1994 it was chosen as the mascot of Jiangxi's ninth provincial games under the name Yueyue (跃跃).