Sanjiang Flower Carp

Sanjiang Flower Carp

　　Flower carp

　　“Flower carp” refers to carp raised in rice paddies without any synthetic feed, known for their tender, sweet, and fragrant flesh. The main production area is centered around the Rongjiang River, particularly in Xijiang Village of Liangkou Township and Xincun Village of Yangxi Township. The water-retaining paddies here are home to year-round carp farming, with traditions such as harvesting winter fish in spring, spring fish in summer, and summer fish in autumn. There is also a custom of barbecuing fish to celebrate the harvest, especially in thirty villages across Yangxi, Fulu, Meilin, and Liangkou townships, where “barbecued fish” is celebrated as a festival. On the final day of the autumn harvest, every household invites family and friends to the mountains to enjoy barbecued fish and celebrate the bounty. Since families finish the harvest on different days, the timing of the fish feasts varies. Along the hundred-mile stretch of rice paddies from Yangxi to Fulu to Meilin townships, smoke rises daily from the hills during harvest season, and barbecued fish is enjoyed everywhere. If you happen to pass by, hosts will invite you to join them, offering you a grilled carp and a cup of homemade rice wine to celebrate the harvest and wish for even bigger and fatter flower carp next year.