Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp

Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp

Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp is a geographical indication product of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. Thanks to its unique farming environment and techniques, the fish has firm, refreshing, and crispy flesh that stays tender even after prolonged cooking, offering a deliciously fragrant taste. It has won numerous accolades and is exported to Hong Kong, Macau, and some countries in South America.

　　The farming of Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp involves a special process. The first step is to raise fry, which take about a year to grow into small fish weighing around half a pound. After another year, they reach a weight of 5 to 7 pounds—still no different from ordinary grass carp at this stage. But in the third year, if the fish are fed fava beans in water temperatures above 25°C, their flesh gradually becomes crispy. After more than 120 days of fava bean feeding, what you get is the genuine article—Crispy Grass Carp. Most farmers buy two-year-old grass carp and then cultivate them into Crispy Grass Carp.

　　Production Situation

　　Dongsheng Town in Zhongshan City is the origin and main production area of Crispy Grass Carp. Since the 21st century, leveraging local resource advantages, the town has actively [Fig. 2: Farming of Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp]

　　encouraged and vigorously developed an aquaculture industry led by Crispy Grass Carp. It has continuously nurtured and expanded the "Dongyu" brand of Crispy Grass Carp, leading to unprecedented growth in the industry. This has made Crispy Grass Carp farming a distinctive highlight for Dongsheng Town in developing modern agriculture and promoting the tertiary sector.

　　In 2009, the Crispy Grass Carp farming area in Dongsheng Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, reached 10,240 mu, accounting for over 60% of the national total and 70% of Guangdong Province’s production, making it China’s largest specialized production town. In 2007, the successful hosting of Zhongshan’s first Crispy Grass Carp Food Festival not only brought prestige and international fame to Dongsheng Town, known as the “Home of Chinese Crispy Grass Carp,” but also turned its “Dongyu Brand” Crispy Grass Carp into a hot pursuit among food enthusiasts. At the same time, it significantly boosted the vigorous development of the local Crispy Grass Carp farming industry. The product is sold to over 20 cities across China including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, as well as Hong Kong, Macau, and some countries in South America. In Dongsheng Town alone, the Crispy Grass Carp farming industry generates over 200 million yuan in additional annual income for farmers, making it a flagship product of the town’s modern agriculture development and one of its key industries for prosperity.

　　Farming History

　　Zhongshan has a long history of developing Crispy Grass Carp farming. As early as 1973, locals in Zhongshan successfully cultivated a type of grass carp with firm, crispy flesh that stayed tender after cooking and had a deliciously fragrant taste using cement ponds and recirculating water systems at the Changjiang Reservoir. This fish was later called Crispy Grass Carp. In the early 1980s, Dongsheng Town pioneered pond-based trial farming of Crispy Grass Carp in Zhongshan. After over 20 years of exploration, practice, and accumulation, a mature set of farming techniques was developed, increasing yield per mu from 750 kg to 1,710 kg. In March 2006, the “Dongsheng Town High-Yield and High-Efficiency Technology Demonstration Project for Crispy Grass Carp” was appraised by authoritative institutions in Guangdong Province, which concluded that the project overall reached a leading domestic level in its category.

　　Honors and Certifications

　　In 2009, the “Dongyu” brand Crispy Grass Carp from Dongsheng Town officially obtained national green food certification, allowing the use of China’s Green Food logo. In 2006, the same product was awarded the honorary title of “China Famous Agricultural Product.” In June of the same year, the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association officially granted Dongsheng Town the title of “Home of Chinese Crispy Grass Carp,” making it China’s first specialized aquatic product town named after Crispy Grass Carp. In 2008, Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp was designated as a national geographical indication product.

　　Geographical Indication Product Protection

　　In accordance with the “Regulations on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products,” the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China reviewed the application for the protection of Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp as a geographical indication product. Upon passing the review, it approved the implementation of geographical indication product protection for Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp starting December 10, 2008.

　　Protection Scope

　　The protection scope of Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp as a geographical indication product is based on the range proposed in the “Letter Regarding the Delineation of the Production Area Scope for Zhongshan Crispy Grass Carp” (Zhongfu Letter [2007] No. 161) issued by the People’s Government of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, covering the entire administrative region of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province.