Yellow River carp from Dongping Lake

Yellow River carp from Dongping Lake

　　Yellow River carp is a wild and prized fish species that lives in the fertile waters of the Yellow River. Its most distinctive feature, setting it apart from other fish, is its red tail and golden scales. Historically, when Dongping Lake served as a natural flood storage area and was connected to the Yellow River, large numbers of Yellow River carp would enter the lake during flood seasons.

　　The Yellow River carp has a slender, streamlined body and swims with strong, powerful movements. It has the habit of swimming against the current and will leap when encountering obstacles. The popular saying “carp leaping over the Dragon Gate” refers to this fish. Every year, it spawns at the river mouth or in tributaries of the Yellow River. After hatching, the fry swim into the main river and move upstream against the rushing currents, growing as they go. Because the Yellow River water contains large amounts of silt, the carp’s scales gradually turn golden as they grow. When they reach the waters around Dongping Lake, where the current slows down, large amounts of grass seeds, leaves, insect skins, microorganisms, and organic matter washed down from upstream settle here. The nutrient-rich water provides abundant natural food, making it an ideal environment for the carp’s growth. As a result, a particularly large and delicious catch of Yellow River carp is often taken from this area, usually weighing around 1 kilogram by the time they are caught.

　　After the construction of the Chen Shankou Sluice on Dongping Lake, the natural channel between the river and the lake was cut off, and no more Yellow River carp entered the lake. To catch them, fishermen now have to cast nets directly in the Yellow River. However, as the river’s flow has weakened over the years, the catch of Yellow River carp has significantly decreased.

　　The flesh of the Yellow River carp is pure in flavor, tender, rich, and delicious, with no muddy taste, making it one of the finest varieties of carp. The Book of Songs mentions, “If one is to eat fish, why not the carp of the river?”—referring to the Yellow River carp. The Qing Bai Lei Chao states: “The carp of the Yellow River is excellent, sweet, fresh, rich, and can be called a delicacy.”

　　Yellow River carp is not only highly nutritious but also has medicinal benefits such as promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, calming the fetus, increasing lactation, and invigorating qi and nourishing blood.