Xiji Colorful Crucian Carp

Xiji Colorful Crucian Carp

　　    Colorful crucian carp are an extremely rare type of fish in the world. Xiji colorful crucian carp have a laterally compressed, slender body, small head, large eyes, round belly, blunt snout, no barbels, and a single tail — their general features are similar to those of common crucian carp. However, they are smaller in size, with the largest weighing only about half a jin (250 grams) and the smallest just around one liang (50 grams). They are also edible, with a taste similar to that of regular crucian carp. Yet, their bodies come in pure white, pure red, pure black, golden yellow, or purplish-black, with some displaying all five colors at once. Their vivid, rainbow-like hues are truly striking, resembling beautiful goldfish and extremely endearing.

　　In 1920, when an 8.5-magnitude earthquake struck Haiyuan, Ningxia, the Xiji County area — located within the seismic zone — experienced intense ground shaking, landslides, and collapsed peaks that blocked mountain streams, valleys, depressions, and ravines, forming numerous quake-formed lakes, locally called "shuǐ yàn" (water weirs). Since then, these rare colorful crucian carp have appeared in a few of these quake lakes.

　　The quake lakes in Xiji County have essentially become large, natural crucian carp ponds, currently hosting around 10,000 colorful crucian carp. (Yinchuan)