China's Top Freshwater Delicacy: A Landlocked City Outshines the Ocean in Freshness
As the autumn wind rises, while people across China are sipping their first cup of milk tea in autumn and gaining weight for the winter, Hubei people serve up their first pot of lotus root and pork rib soup of the season. The soul of the soup lies not in the ribs, but in the lotus root—slightly crisp at first bite and turning soft and powdery when chewed. Whether in Shiyan in the northwest or Ezhou in the southeast, the lotus root in the pot likely comes from China's top freshwater aquatic city—
Lotus root and pork rib soup: the most "Hubei" flavor.
Hubei, China's largest aquatic product province, accounts for nearly one-seventh of the country's freshwater product output. And Jingzhou is the champion of Hubei's aquatic industry.
As the saying goes, Guan Yu lost Jingzhou due to carelessness, but Jingzhou people are never careless about lake delicacies. Not only do they skillfully prepare lotus root in various ways and cook fish with flair, the most authentic Jingzhou Dalian noodles (Dalian refers to a deluxe version of the noodles, unrelated to the city name) require crucian carp to make the broth. To achieve a fish flavor without bones, breakfast chefs even wrap the crucian carp in cloth to simmer the soup. This demonstrates Jingzhou people's dedication to lake delicacies.
In Jingzhou, fish ponds can be as neat and orderly as farmland.
Jingzhou: The Invisible Champion of China's Aquatic Industry
Every autumn, the "Eight Immortals of the Water" add elegance to Jiangnan, but lotus roots and water chestnuts are not exclusive to Jiangnan. If you travel upstream along the Yangtze River to Jingzhou, you will witness an even grander harvest of aquatic products, akin to the mighty river flowing east compared to the gentle streams of the south. Jingzhou's aquatic products also reflect the shrewdness, capability, and low-key nature of Hubei people.
A bird's-eye view of Chang Lake helps you understand the term "lake wetlands."
Jingzhou is located in the southernmost part of Hubei, China's largest freshwater aquatic product province. Its southern counties even span the Yangtze River, connecting with Hunan, another major freshwater aquatic product province. Jingzhou's low-lying terrain, with rivers like the Songzi, Hudu, Ouchi, and Tiaoxian originating from small hills and converging into the Yangtze mainstream, forms a dense network of waterways and numerous lakes.
Jingzhou once had four large lakes, echoing Dongting Lake in the south, making it a true "kidney of Central South China." The Yangtze River, rushing out of its treacherous upper reaches, suddenly enters the flat Jianghan Plain. Sediment settles in the river channels and lakes, bringing fertile soil to the area and enriching the water with nutrients, creating a luxurious buffet for fish and aquatic life.
Autumn is the season for harvesting lotus roots in Honghu Lake.
With such优越的地理条件, Jingzhou produces about 1.1 million tons of aquatic products annually, holding the title of China's top freshwater aquatic product city for 27 consecutive years. Behind these numbers are lotus roots served on dinner tables nationwide, fish swimming into supermarkets across the country, and crayfish becoming a national nighttime snack.
Take the humble lotus plant, for example. In Jingzhou, it can be细分ed into lotus seeds, crisp lotus roots, powdery lotus roots, and lotus rhizomes—a part outsiders often can't guess. Different varieties have even been developed for various needs.
Lotus roots are delicious but labor-intensive to harvest.
The most prolific area for aquatic products under Jingzhou's jurisdiction is Honghu City, home to Honghu Lake—Hubei's largest lake and China's seventh largest. Here, fish production exceeds 300,000 kilograms, and the hairy crabs you enjoyed this Mid-Autumn Festival might also be from Honghu. Honghu clearwater crabs are the second famous trademark for crabs after Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, with an output of about 48,000 tons—ten times that of the latter.
Honghu City not only produces fish and crabs but also excels in aquatic vegetables. Lotus seeds, lotus roots, and water chestnuts are known as the "Three Treasures of Honghu," allowing Hubei people who love lake delicacies to enjoy them from summer to winter, and even exporting them overseas. Among them, Honghu lotus seeds export over 200,000 jin annually, with an output value of billions.
Other counties and districts in Jingzhou also excel in the aquatic product sector. Songzi City has Weishui dagger fish and Xiaonanhai lotus roots; Gong'an County has Zhakou crayfish and Shizikou loaches; Shashi District is known for its eels—all sought-after flavors by local food connoisseurs.
The dense water network is the foundation of Jingzhou's status as a major freshwater aquaculture city.
Jingzhou is also essential for the crayfish, Hubei people's favorite nighttime snack. Jianli City is the top county-level producer of crayfish in China, with Honghu City ranking second, Gong'an County ninth, and Shishou City tenth. Combined, their output secures Jingzhou's position as the top crayfish-producing city. Jingzhou not only supplies crayfish to全国各地 but also exports crayfish restaurant owners and chefs.
Jingzhou is not only China's top freshwater aquatic product producer but also the trading center for live freshwater products, with an annual trading volume of 1.4 million tons, far exceeding its own output. From Jingzhou, aquatic products are distributed to 29 provinces (cities, autonomous regions), Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and even exported to Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Europe, and America.
Fishermen and farmers share a common joy of harvest.
How does the "No.1 Lake Fresh Market in China" creatively serve lake delicacies?
Jingzhou, with its intricate water networks and numerous lakes, has never lacked fish since ancient times. According to the "Records of Jingzhou Prefecture," Huan Kuan, a Han Dynasty official who authored "Discourses on Salt and Iron," noted that "people in Jiangling feed dogs with fish." Perhaps because Huan Kuan came from the Central Plains, where fish was scarce, he was astonished by the extravagance of Jingzhou residents at that time.
How many flavors can Jingzhou people create from a single fish?
Jingzhou's aquatic products are not only abundant in yield but also rich in variety. Common species like black carp, grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, common carp, and crucian carp are naturally plentiful, while less common lake delicacies such as Wuchang bream, white culter, and soft-shelled turtle are also frequently found in Jingzhou. They are the most distinctive highlights of Jingzhou cuisine.
Jingzhou people, who are experts in eating fish, are no longer satisfied with everyday stewing and braising. Instead, they seek to explore richer flavors of freshwater fish. For example, dishes like Yanggan fish and Ciba fish are prepared to give freshwater fish the flaky texture of sea fish. The former involves slicing the fish, marinating it, and sun-drying it for a day, while the latter requires pressing the fish with heavy weights. Both methods eliminate the common earthy smell of freshwater fish while successfully enhancing its freshness, making them classic accompaniments for rice.
Yanggan fish: very traditional, very fresh.
In addition to innovative cooking methods, Jingzhou people also focus on exploring diverse ingredients. The fierce snakehead, a dominant predator in the Yangtze River basin, meets its match in Jingzhou people, who transform it into a tender and spicy boiled fish. Eel is deep-fried and drizzled with sweet and sour sauce, creating Pilao eel, which seems to echo the famous squirrel-shaped mandarin fish dish.
Fig. 1 Boiled fish, Fig. 2 Braised fish tail, Fig. 3 Pilao eel
Not only are there many types of lake delicacies, but the cooking methods are also diverse.
Fig. 1/VCG, Fig. 2/Tuchong Creativity, Fig. 3/HuiTu
For Jingzhou people, who are never short of fish, eating fish for breakfast is not necessarily a luxury but may stem from frugality. For example, older generations in Jingzhou would use braised fish tail as a breakfast dish. The so-called "fish tail" refers to the tail of the fish, which, though bony, is exceptionally delicious. Jingzhou people love every part of the fish.
The love for fish even extends to fish offal. Not only is there a spicy and fragrant fish offal hotpot, but there is also "penholder fish maw" made from the swim bladder of longsnout catfish. Cooked with chicken paste, it becomes a rare mild dish in Hubei cuisine, where even stir-fried vegetables are often seasoned with chili.
Fish even finds its way into Jingzhou people's breakfast. Dalian noodles and Zaotang noodles are served with crucian carp broth, and the luxurious version includes fried eel shreds.
Photo/ Yanyang YY, Image/ Tuchong Creativity
The highest culinary achievement is fish cake, where the fish is invisible. Fresh fish is deboned and mashed into a paste, mixed with egg white and diced pork fat, then steamed. Finally, a layer of egg yolk is spread on top before steaming again. Making fish cake is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but Jingzhou people enjoy it for the tender yet elastic freshness. Often paired with fish cake are fish balls ("yu yuan"), made similarly from freshwater fish.
Not sure what dish it eventually became.
Fish cake and fish balls are versatile in the hands of Jingzhou people—steamed, boiled, stir-fried, deep-fried, or hotpot-style, each method offering a unique flavor. For Jingzhou people living away from home, missing fish cake becomes the most tangible form of nostalgia.
Jingzhou's aquatic delights are not limited to fish!
Visitors to Jingzhou, after indulging in crayfish and hairy crabs, are often surprised by the locals' enthusiasm for soft-shelled turtles. Whether braised or prepared Jing-style, strong-flavored seasonings are used to mask the fishy taste and highlight the unique flavor of the turtle. Since the turtle is chopped into pieces, there is no need to worry about the mental discomfort of facing a whole cooked turtle.
Not only is it not dark, but it even has a touch of elegance.
The rivers and lakes not only provide meat for the people of Jingzhou but also vegetables, and even contribute a variety of snacks. During the just-passed summer, it was the season to snack on lotus seeds and make cold dishes with lotus root stems. In early autumn, water chestnuts hold a status similar to chestnuts in the North China Plain. Now, in late autumn, lotus roots have entered their peak maturity. For the people of Jingzhou, lotus roots are divided into starchy and crispy varieties, and each must be used for its specific purpose without confusion.
Jingzhou's aquatic dishes are exceedingly diverse.
For example, when making pork rib soup, one must choose starchy lotus roots that are reddish in color, even exhibiting a "rusty" hue. This results in a soup with a stronger lotus root flavor, a richer color, and a soft, glutinous texture. Smooth, pure white crispy lotus roots are more suitable for refreshing cold dishes or crispy fried lotus root sandwiches. Whether it's lotus root soup or lotus root sandwiches, they are among the most representative flavors of the Jing-Chu region.
Eating lake delicacies is just one aspect of Jingzhou's connection with water. Water has shaped every facet of Jingzhou.
The Yangtze River is Jingzhou's true mother river.
The emergence, rise, and relative decline of Jingzhou are inextricably linked to water. Even the name "Jingzhou" originates from the legend of Yu the Great taming the floods and dividing the land into the Nine Provinces. Today's Jingzhou was the core of the vast "Jingzhou" of that time, known as Jiangling.
Some believe that the Chang Lake and Hong Lake east of present-day Jingzhou are merely remnants of the Yunmeng Marsh. By the Neolithic Age, around 10,000 years ago, the silt from the Yangtze River had already deposited a flat and fertile plain around Jingzhou. This area successively gave rise to the Daxi, Qujialing, and Shijiahe cultures, which were the precursors of Jing-Chu culture.
The ancestors of the Chu state were initially regarded as barbarians. After moving south from Danyang to Jingzhou, they leveraged the geographical advantages of the plains and marshes to grow into a "superpower" that rivaled Jin and Qin. The capital, Jinan City, built south of Mount Ji, was the heart of the Chu state's 400-year golden age and was even larger than the later ancient city of Jingzhou. Precious artifacts, such as the Sword of Goujian and the Tiger Base Phoenix Bird Suspended Drum, have been unearthed here. The resounding Hubei dialect phrase "不服周" (refusing to submit to Zhou) is an echo of this history.
The Sword of Goujian is generally believed to be a state gift from a marriage alliance between Chu and Yue,
or a trophy from the Chu conquest of Yue.
Photo by Liao Chenyang; Graphics by Jiuyang
During the Han Dynasty, Jingzhou spanned several provinces from southern Henan to the northern edge of Guangdong. It was a pivotal hub of the realm and became a focal point of contention during the Three Kingdoms period. The city of Jingzhou, built by Guan Yu, laid the foundation for the layout of today's ancient city of Jingzhou. With its reinforced walls and wide moat connected to canals, the city became exceptionally sturdy. After losing Jingzhou, the Shu Han state, confined to a corner, inevitably met its downfall.
Its superior geographical location was both a gift and a curse. As a strategic military stronghold, Jingzhou was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The现存 ancient city is a product of renovations during the Qing Dynasty. Two thousand years of rise and fall are encapsulated within its walls, making it the longest continuously existing ancient city in China.
The ancient city of Jingzhou has witnessed too much.
The combination of a land of fish and rice with a land-and-water port allowed ancient Jiangling to transform from a military fortress and hub into a metropolis during the Tang Dynasty. It was not only a landmark in Li Bai's poems but also one of the five capitals designated by Emperor Suzong of Tang. Even Shashi, a trading port, developed into a center of handicrafts along the Jing River and a transshipment point for Yangtze River transportation during the Ming and Qing dynasties. By the late 1980s, it had once become a leader in China's light industry. Products like Power 28 laundry detergent, Jingjiang brand thermoses, and Yuanyang brand bedsheets, used by older generations, were made in Shashi.
Water brought advantages to Jingzhou but could also wash them away. After flowing through Yichang, the Yangtze River rushes from the mountains into the plains, meandering through a perilous stretch known as the Jing River. From 1931 to 1949, the banks of the Jing River suffered floods in 16 out of 18 years. The great flood of 1998 remains an indelible memory of disaster and unity for contemporary Jingzhou residents. The flood diversion zone is an exceptionally heavy topic for the people of Jingzhou.
Compared to frequent floods, the更大的 issue lies in the loss of geographical advantages. As the Yunmeng Marsh gradually disappeared, Wuhan, as a hub connecting nine provinces, gained a superior geographical advantage over Jingzhou. In a tragedy of "why must one exist when the other does," Jingzhou gradually relinquished its status as a central metropolis. Constrained by the Jing River flood diversion zone and the Third Front Construction period, heavy industrial cities in Hubei were mostly located in the north, widening the gap between Jingzhou and Wuhan.
Large cities possess economic vitality that small cities cannot match. Jingzhou's industrial enterprises were unable to compete with large firms in the southeastern coastal regions and multinational corporations, leading to a gradual decline since the 1990s. Young people from Jingzhou flock to Wuhan and even the southeastern coast along the Yangtze River. They were once children swimming in Jingzhou's waters and had dreamed of returning home one day to become elderly folk fishing by the lake.
Water has long been integrated into every aspect of life for the people of Jingzhou.
Water has shaped the resilient and tenacious "never-give-up" spirit of Jingzhou people, who continuously reinforce river embankments and engage in aquaculture to build a better life from the waters. Today, with the increasingly advanced water conservancy projects along the Yangtze River and the completion of the Jingjiang Levee, water is no longer an unpredictable threat but a promising frontier for entrepreneurship. For the people of Jingzhou, life is like the freshness of lake delicacies—full of discoverable sweetness.
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