Clean river delivers riches for dinner tables

Xu Chunfu sets out on the Wusuli River at 4 am.

Bears are even known to take a walk around the town. Villagers saw a female bear taking a baby for a walk in front of the temple of Guan Yu, an ancestral shrine on the riverbank, in September this year, says Xu the fisherman.

Fishermen have been on the Wusuli River since the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC). Remains of nets left by the ancestors of the Manchu, one of China's 56 ethnic groups, have also been found.

Nowadays, to protect the ecology, fishermen are allowed to fish only in designated zones. They are not allowed fish for about three months a year, usually between June and September, during the breeding season.

During the rest of year, the fishermen go out every morning before the sunrise. "We don't care if it rains hard or if there is a strong wind," says Xu.

"Fishing is not only a hard job, it is highly technical too," he says.

"A fisherman needs to know which way the current is moving, how strong it is and therefore where the fish are heading.

"The signs of nature - the wind, the color of the grass, the shape of clouds and the chirping of the birds - all tell you things about currents and the fish. They tell you when the big fish - those that weigh more than 1 kilogram - will arrive. You can even hear the sound of the tails of big fish lapping against the water surface," he says.

While most of these tips are passed down from one generation to another, you also learn from experience.

Wang himself has been fishing for more than two decades.

"I once caught more than 500 kilograms of fish. The biggest one was taller than a fully grown man," he says.

As for other traditions, Xu says he throws all the small fish he catches back into the river. "It is the rule of Hutou people," he says.

Xu Chunfu's sister Xu Chunhong sells the fish that her brother catches in the fish market in the center of the town. The small market is the most buzzing place in the area, and dealers from around the province come for the fish.

Besides fishing, Xu owns a bed-and-breakfast called Linjiang Hotel, where he is also the chef.

Watching him cook is to see simplicity in action.

First he piles firewood into the stove, then he places a giant iron pot on it, and puts in the fish together with salt, ginger, scallion and garlic and leaves the pot to boil. "This recipe brings out the real flavor," he says.

It depends on individual taste as for how long the fish should be boiled. Half an hour is enough to make sure the fish is tender and delicious, but for there to be a rich soup, Xu often boils the fish for about three hours.