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As Spring Festival draws near, nearly every household partakes in the age-old tradition of drying black carp in Taozhuang town, Jiashan county, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province.

The drying yard at Jiashan Haoqi Food Factory adorned with hanging dried black carp. [Photo/jiaxingren.com]

The drying yard at Jiashan Haoqi Food Factory is now adorned with hanging dried black carp, setting the stage for a lively and festive atmosphere.

The black carp, renowned for its superior meat quality and exquisite taste, reigns supreme as the fish of choice for crafting dried delicacies. 

Li Yueqin, the manager of Jiashan Haoqi Food Factory, revealed that larger black carp, aged around two years and weighing between 4.5 and 10 kilograms, are typically selected.

Skilled artisans meticulously slice the fish from head to tail along the spine, applying salt evenly on both sides while gently pressing the flesh to enhance salt absorption. The pickling process lasts approximately five to six days before the fish is cleaned and dried.

According to Li, naturally dried black carp surpasses its artificially dried counterparts in both taste and appearance.

The resulting dried fish is a vibrant yellow hue intertwined with hints of red, with elegant fish bones visible and no unpleasant fishy odors.

As the season of Spring Festival preparations peaks, Jiaxing's dried black carp is finding its way to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and beyond, becoming an indispensable highlight of many families' Chinese New Year's Eve feasts.