Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly inspected and investigated along the Yangtze River, presided over four forums on the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and emphasized "two adherences": adhere to joint efforts to protect and not engage in large-scale development, and adhere to ecological priority and green development.
The Wujiang River is the largest tributary on the south bank of the Yangtze River, the largest river in Guizhou, and is known as the mother river of Guizhou.
On the eve of the Spring Festival in 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Guizhou for investigation and investigation, and he overlooked the Wujiang River landscape in the Liuchong section of the Wujiang River; He stressed that it is necessary to firmly establish the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, keep the two bottom lines of development and ecology, and strive to find a new path of ecological priority and green development.
Located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Guizhou is an important ecological security barrier and an important member of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Guizhou has always kept in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's Yin Yin and unswervingly followed the path of ecological priority and green development. Emphasize upstream awareness, fulfill upstream responsibilities, and strengthen upstream responsibility. Ecological protection strives for the upstream, and the clear water of the Yangtze River is sent downstream, and the important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is comprehensively built with practical actions.
— Inscription
After the Wujiang River basin has been treated by cage fish farming, the river water is clear and the coastal scenery is beautiful. Photo by Li Renjun
At the foot of the incense burner mountain at an altitude of 2,260 meters, the mountain spring gushing out from the stone jar cave is like a flowing green streamer, winding in the undulating mountains.
It stretches for 1,037 kilometers from the Wumeng Mountains to the Wuling Mountains, and from the mountain springs converge into small streams, and the small streams converge into large rivers. Following its direction, all the way to the east, looking at the ups and downs, surging blue river, I think, this endless flow of waves, interpreting the power of water, in that one wave, ten waves, thousands of waves competing to bloom, a thousand miles of momentum, at a glance, this is the taste of water, good as water, it is invisible, but can become any shape, it is colorless, but can be colorful.
In the rows of lofty mountains on both sides of this river, there are Pre-Ordovician, Triassic, Jurassic and other strata. Walking on this land, you just stepped on the Ordovician strata 600 million years ago, and the last foot walked into the Jurassic strata 80 million years ago.
In Sinan County, in the middle and lower reaches of the river, standing at the gate of the ancient salt a hundred years ago, looking at the ancient wharf a hundred years ago, I seem to see that the prosperous scene of people coming and going and boats coming and going at that time is an important material channel connecting the Central Plains to the southwest, carrying the rise and fall of this party's socio-economic culture. The traces of the years are still flashing here; in the downstream riverside autonomous county, thousands of people stand on both sides of the river, spend the Dragon Boat Festival together, the cheers, drums, and trumpets come and go, watching the dragon boat chase me in the river, this is the memory of history, endlessly.
This is the Wujiang River, which is the largest tributary on the south bank of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the largest river in Guizhou Province, known as the mother river of Guizhou. It originates in the western part of Guizhou, traverses the central and northeastern parts of Guizhou, and enters Chongqing to Fuling to join the Yangtze River.
The Wujiang River has two sources, south and north, both of which originate in Bijie. The main source of the south source is the Sancha River, which originates from the Yancang Yingdong at the foot of the incense burner mountain in Weining Autonomous County, and the main source of the north source is the Liuchong River, which originates in Xingwang Village, Fuchu Township, Hezhang County. From the source of the Sancha River, it is 1,037 kilometers long, 849 kilometers long in Guizhou and 188 kilometers long in Chongqing. The Sancha River and the Liuchong River converge in Huawu Village in Qianxi City as the upper reaches, from Huawu Village to Sinan County as the middle reaches, and from Sinan County to Dejiang County, Yanhe Autonomous County and Fuling District of Chongqing City as the lower reaches. The Wujiang River basin spans more than 50 counties and cities in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing, with a basin area of 87,920 square kilometers, of which 66,807 square kilometers are in Guizhou Province.
In 2023, I walked along the Wujiang River, and the taste of water and mountains was still unfinished, and I came to Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City. I have an indissoluble bond with this place, every time I go out to the south, I have to pass through here, and I often stop for a meal of Wujiang fish. My hometown is in Honghuagang District, Zunyi City, only 49 kilometers away. The Xiangjiang River, not far from my house, is a tributary of the Wujiang River, which runs through the city in Honghuagang District. When I saw the Wujiang River here, I felt more close and had endless nostalgia.
Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City, has a good ecology, green water and green mountains, and clear rivers. Photo by Li Renjun
The upper reaches of the Wujiang River rush eastward from the Qianxi Highlands to the east with an unstoppable momentum, and come to the central and northern parts of Guizhou, when encountering the remaining veins of the Dalou Mountain, the mountain is cut into two parts, Wujiang Town is formed on both sides of the river according to the mountain situation, the high peaks and ridges are towering, and the low river valleys are vertical and horizontal. Wujiang Town is located in the middle reaches of the Wujiang River, known as the "South Gate of Zunyi", facing Jinsha County of Bijie City across the river in the northwest, and adjacent to Xifeng County of Guiyang City in the southeast and west.
I left home at the age of 17 to go to school and work outside, during which Wujiang Town was the only place for me to return to my hometown from south to north. Decades have passed, and although many restaurants in Wujiang Town have changed from old to new, the taste that my taste buds remember has never changed. Although I have always taken this Xi for granted, I will occasionally wonder if there is a word called changing with each passing day, and how does a taste not change for decades? In 2023, the first stop I walked along the Wujiang River is this familiar place.
Nowadays, around the traditional delicacy of Wujiang tofu fish, fish farming, tofu production, and catering industry chain has been formed, which is nicknamed "a fish". Fish and tofu have been sold to many places in other places, and restaurants with Wujiang tofu fish as their signboard have also "blossomed" in many places. Locals say: "The fish of Wujiang has long been out of Wujiang." Listening to such words, I feel that the word "out" is not a verb, but more like an interjection, which is people's self-praise for breaking through geographical restrictions and making the industry bigger and stronger. It's full of confidence in the taste. After tracing the roots of such self-confidence, it solved my question of "how does a taste not change for decades?", and at the same time, it also made me know that this kind of unchanged is not natural, but is inherited in the process of striving for change, and this kind of unchanged contains development and innovation. This discovery also gave birth to countless interjections in my heart, and I couldn't help but want to tell my roots. Let's start from the origin of Wujiang Town and fish, and start with the mountains and water of Wujiang Town.
One
Ten thousand peaks become forests, mountains are surrounded by water, ravines are vertical and horizontal, and the cave rivers are connected...... Wujiang Town is embedded in such mountains and rivers, and is located in the southernmost part of northern Guizhou, at the southern end of the Da Lou Mountains.
The Wujiang River and its tributaries run through the Da Lou Mountains, and the rivers are deeply cut into canyons hundreds of meters deep...... The blend of mountains and water makes the land of northern Qianbei a typical karst mountain. In Zunyi City, 65.08% of the land is mountainous, and karst landforms account for about 75% of the city's land area. One of the major characteristics of karst mountains is that the water system is intertwined, the water system of the Wujiang River is dense like a spider web, there are 39 rivers of more than 50 square kilometers in Banzhou District alone, there are 106 rivers of less than 50 square kilometers, 600 spring water points, 42 underground dark rivers, and the water resources are abundant.
Wujiang Town is located on a plateau with abundant water resources, between 500 meters and 1,200 meters above sea level, and the Wujiang River passes through the town, with a total distance of 9.8 kilometers. Wujiang Town, which is located in the humid climate zone of the central subtropical monsoon, has no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer, with an average annual temperature of 16.2 degrees Celsius. Such a natural environment provides conditions for the growth of Wujiang fish.
Wujiang fish are dominated by largemouth catfish and long-snouted catfish. The dense water system network and abundant water resources make the water body renew and exchange water bodies fast, and the oxygen ions are sufficient, and at the same time, a large number of rich kinds of organisms are brought in. Phytoplankton include cyanobacteria, euglena, etc., protozoa such as rotifers, cladoperas, etc., and benthic organisms include streakworms, molluscs, etc., which provide abundant natural bait for fish. The climate without severe cold in winter and scorching heat in summer allows the water temperature of the water system to ensure the growth and reproduction of fish, and at the same time, the higher altitude makes the water temperature not too warm, and the fish has a longer growth cycle than similar fish in lower altitudes, so the Wujiang fish has the characteristics of more compact and delicate meat. Of course, this is a conclusion that was only pondered after the fame of the contemporary Wujiang fish. This conclusion is confirmed by the simple perception of the locals that "the fish in our river are good", and this recognition has made Wujiang Town have a deep relationship with fish from the past to the present.
The Wujiang Dam in Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City, used to raise fish on the water, but now the net is withdrawn and the fish are retreated, the river water is clear, life continues to be good, and tourism leads the new development. Photo by Li Renjun
The history of Wujiang Town can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and it was divided into Zunyi County and Xifeng County in history, and Wujiang Town was established in 1980. According to the people in the town, in the past, many local families had relied on fishing and selling fish for generations, and the locals also liked to eat fish, which was fried, fried, boiled, and stewed. Some old people say that Wujiang fish is good and that Wujiang fish is delicious and famous in ancient times.
Wujiang Town is located in the steep mountains and mountains, as the saying goes, "Shu Road is difficult, it is difficult to go to the blue sky", Shu Road is difficult, no matter how difficult it is, there is no road in many mountains of Guizhou Plateau! In this case, the river has become the main road of transportation, and the Wujiang River crossing of Wujiang Town in ancient times was an important throat for the north and south.
Due to the high mountains and deep valleys, for a long time the ferry could not build a bridge, and all boats were used to drift along. In the sixth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1880), Cen Yuying, the governor of Guizhou, advocated and led the construction of the chain bridge, which was completed in three years. 19 iron cables lead both sides of the river, 18 zhang long, 1 zhang 5 feet wide, the iron cable is on the wooden plank pedestrian, the iron cable bridge is connected with Xiuwen and Zunyi, called "Xiuyi Bridge". It was also during the Guangxu period that the bridge was washed away by two major floods, and the first bridge in Wujiang Town was hidden in the mountains. However, when the bridge was completed, the large cliffs of "Qianshui Feihong" and "Iron Lock Hengjiang" were carved on the mountain cliff, and the "Iron Lock Hengjiang" is still eye-catching today, confirming the momentum of the iron chain bridge.
It is conceivable that a ferry port that undertakes the north and south, people come and go, those parents are short, those customs are conveyed in this way of coming and going, and therefore it should be easy for the beauty of a fish to be spread.
Two
According to the "Chronicles of Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City": the water in the Wujiang Gorge is clear, and the wild fish meat is delicate and delicious. In the 80s of the 20th century, there were 92 restaurants in the center of the town, mainly dealing in Wujiang tofu fish.
When I was looking for this fish, I first went to the Jianglong Hotel, which I used to frequent.
The early autumn morning sun has spread on the terrace of the hotel, and it has not yet spilled on the river, standing on the terrace and looking out, the green river water is embedded in the mountains like a jade belt, and the bridge that I used to pass often crosses the river valley.
At the Wujiang Fifth Bridge in Banzhou District, a Mercedes-Benz train passes over the bridge. Photo by Li Renjun
I sat on the terrace with Chen Xiaoyan, the owner of the hotel, and a group of people from Banzhou District and Wujiang Town to talk about the past. Chen Xiaoyan recalled: In the 80s of the 20th century, there were more fish restaurants along National Highway 210 in Wujiang Town, and business was booming, and there were many diners in addition to locals, drivers and tourists in the past. Her fish restaurant opened in 1989 in Banpo and only has three tables. The shop is next to a spring water flowing from the dark river on the mountain, and the fish are boiled in the spring water, and the name of the shop is Jianglong, which means that the store is by the river and the spring, which means that it leaps like a river dragon.
Luo Zhifang from the Propaganda Department of the Banzhou District Party Committee, who was traveling with him, introduced: The road mentioned by Chen Xiaoyan passes through Wujiang Town, which is now a county road, and used to be National Highway 210. Originally called Qianchuan Highway, from Guiyang to Chongqing, it is one of the four major trunk lines in Guizhou Province in the old times, which was built in 1926 and completed in August 1933. In the construction of this road, Wujiang Town has a second bridge - Wujiang Steel Bridge.
These memories opened the valve of my memory. In 1986, I left my hometown of Zunyi to study in Guiyang, the provincial capital, and Wujiang Town was the only place I could pass to and fro. Every time I am close to the holiday, I always look forward to my father coming to the provincial capital to do business, and when my father finishes his errands, I can go home with my father and pester my father to eat fish in Wujiang Town, which is what I look forward to the most. At that time, it took more than five hours to return home from Guiyang to Zunyi, four hours to travel from Guiyang to Wujiang Town, and then more than an hour to reach home. And this section of Wujiang Town is the most dangerous, the car goes down from the top of the mountain to the valley, crosses the bridge and then climbs from the valley to the top of the mountain, in the seven turns and eight turns of the car, I always have a feeling of dizziness and fear, but fortunately, there is the smell of Wujiang tofu fish to soothe those discomfort. The smell of the smooth fish and tender tofu, the aroma of chili peppers and bean paste wrapped in ginger and garlic always makes me feel relaxed all of a sudden, and the tension of being away from home and the melancholy of missing my family are all dissipated by a pot of fragrant Wujiang tofu fish.
Listening to my story, Chen Xiaoyan said that boiling fish and tofu with glutinous chili peppers and bean paste has become the main dish of the restaurant after several explorations. Wujiang fish is good, water is also good, Wujiang town people eat fish pay attention to river water boiled live fish, in the past are to buy fishermen from Wujiang caught fish, the fish is relatively large, buy once to sell for several days, it is difficult to do the river water boiled live fish, the fish is generally processed and frozen. "We tried repeatedly, the frozen fish was fried in oil and added to Wujiang tofu, boiled with glutinous chili pepper and bean paste, the fish and tofu became more and more tender and fragrant the more they were cooked, and there were more people who liked this taste, and it became a feature. ”
I have long heard that this tofu is only made in Wujiang Town, and I am full of curiosity about this tofu. According to the "Chronicles of Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City": the mountain springs in the territory are clean and sweet, and there are many types of minerals and trace elements. The tofu made with the water here is as white as snow, as smooth as jade, without residue when eaten, and melts in the mouth.
Hearing me inquire about the practice of tofu, Wang Zisong, secretary of the general party branch and director of the village committee of Laojunguan Village, Banzhou District, took over the topic.
Wang Zisong was elected secretary of the general party branch and director of the village committee of Laojunguan Village in 2022. After graduating from university in 2012, he returned to his hometown and joined the operation of his own tofu factory. He led the application for micro enterprises, registered Wujiang Wangxiang Tianyu Soybean Products Co., Ltd., and carried out QS certification for the products. After he took up a post in the village, the business was run by his parents. At present, the company produces and sells about 3,000 catties of tofu every day.
Wang Zisong said: "I heard from the old people in the town that the Wujiang tofu recipe was brought by a Hunan couple. ”
In 1970, the construction of Wujiangdu Hydropower Station began, which was the first high-dam hydropower station built in China in karst areas, which was completed in 1982 and has been expanded and transformed for many times, and is an important energy base for "West-to-East Power Transmission".
The construction of the hydropower station began, and people from the southeast and northwest came to Wujiang Town, and the Hunan couple who knew how to make tofu came with the construction army. In the past, the local people made tofu by using sour soup as a marinated point, and the tofu made was called sour soup tofu. The Hunan couple is made of gypsum as a marinade, and the tofu made is delicate and is called gypsum tofu. At that time, due to the construction of the hydropower station, Wujiang Town gathered people from all over the country, different people have different tastes, and different flavors soon had a demand, and gradually there was a workshop specializing in gypsum tofu.
Wang Zisong said: "The old people in the town said that when the hydropower station was built, the town was a lot more lively, and the facilities in the town were gradually more convenient and organized. ”
In 1992, Wang Zisong's father, Wang Yichun, learned the craft of making tofu and began to work hard for decades. Wang Yichun soaked beans at about eight o'clock every night, and got up at one o'clock in the middle of the night the next day to start a busy day, which has continued until now.
Wang Zisong's tofu is famous, and he said it is inseparable from the family's "meticulous crafting". Wang Zisong introduced: first of all, it is necessary to choose the best soybeans produced locally, the beans are selected, the pulp yield is higher, and the tofu is more fragrant; then soak the beans with spring water, the proportion of beans and water must be mastered, and the pulp can be neither thin nor viscous; then the boiling pulp must be controlled well; the subsequent point brine, the amount of gypsum is particular, the time of the brine is different, the climate changes, etc., the amount of gypsum is different; and finally through the stereotype will become a boxy tofu.
Wang Yichun once went to Yaxi Town, Banzhou District, and Guiyang City to make tofu and sell it, but the same method did not taste as good as that made in Wujiang Town. "It should have to do with the water quality and the unique microbes in the air in the valley," Wang said. ”
"Wujiang Town Chronicles, Banzhou District, Zunyi City" contains: Wujiang tofu fish hot pot has the reputation of "a skill in northern Qianbei, a unique in China", and the main ingredients are catfish and Wujiang tofu. First of all, boil the glutinous peppers, dried chili peppers, and bean paste in oil, put the fish pieces and stir-fry after the oil is bright red, then add old ginger, garlic, pepper, salt, etc., mix with water and boil over a simmer, put in tomatoes, garlic sprouts, green onion sections, tofu pieces, and cook until the flavor is ready. The fish cubes in this dish are golden, the tofu is snow-white, the red oil is transparent and shiny, and the green onions and garlic sprouts are green.
I thought that this Wujiang tofu fish with full color and fragrance was born with the same mountains and water as the mountains and waters of Wujiang Town, but I didn't expect it to be produced with construction and development, and the "debut" of just one dish contained inheritance, integration, exploration and innovation, which made me feel another taste in Wujiang Town in addition to nostalgia.
Chen Xiaoyan interrupted my thoughts, pointed to the bridge that could be seen from the terrace and said, "Later, there were more and more cars coming and going on this bridge, and the area around the bridge was very lively. Chen Xiaoyan took a fancy to this excitement, raised funds to buy the house by the bridge, and moved the hotel that had been open on Banpo for seven years to its current location.
Luo Zhifang introduced: This bridge is known as the Sichuan-Guizhou Highway Wujiang Double Arch Bridge, completed and opened to traffic in October 1972, is the second bridge of the 210 National Highway, the first bridge on the road - Wujiang steel bridge, because it is located in the hydropower dam area was abandoned, so the bridge was newly built. This is the fourth bridge in Wujiang Town, and it is also the second bridge built in Wujiang Town after the founding of New China, and the first bridge built is the Wujiang Bridge of the Sichuan-Guizhou Railway, which was completed and opened to traffic in 1965.
In December 1997, the Guizun high-grade highway was completed and opened to traffic, and the time from Guiyang City to Zunyi City was shortened to 3 hours. In the construction of this highway, Wujiang Town has a fifth bridge - Wujiang cable-stayed bridge, which is the first prestressed steel fiber reinforced concrete road bridge in China composed of an organic combination of a cable-stayed bridge and a suspension bridge. After the Lanhai Expressway was opened to traffic in December 2007, the Wujiang cable-stayed bridge was changed to the 210 National Highway Highway Bridge, the original old 210 National Highway was changed to the county road, and the Wujiang Double Arch Bridge was discontinued. Through the Lanhai Expressway, the time from Guiyang City to Zunyi City is less than two hours.
Aerial photography of the scenery of the five bridges of the Wujiang River in Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City, witnessing the rapid development history of Guizhou's transportation. Photo by Li Renjun
When the Lanhai Expressway was opened, the Jianglong Hotel branch opened at the entrance of the Wujiang River of the Lanhai Expressway, which is currently the most concentrated place for hotels in Wujiang Town. Today, there are five chain stores in Jianglong Hotel, two in Wujiang Town and three in Guiyang City, with a daily fish consumption of about 1,000 catties.
Chen Xiaoyan said: "We now use live fish and then cook it, instead of frying it in oil first, which is closer to the tradition of 'boiling live fish in river water'." Then she changed her words: "I think I used live fish when I moved the restaurant to my current location in 1995." I didn't react to Chen Xiaoyan's statement at once, so I asked. Qin Pu, director of the aquatic products station of the Banzhou District Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau, introduced: Since the 70s of the 20th century, many rivers in the Yangtze River basin and the Pearl River basin in Guizhou have been developed into cascade power stations, and some large and medium-sized reservoirs have been formed. Wujiang River is one of the top ten hydropower bases in the mainland, with many reservoirs, many immigrants in the reservoir area, and a large natural scale of fish farming in cages. In 1995, cage fish farming in Wujiang Town has been developed, which makes the supply more sufficient, the supply more timely and stable, and provides conditions for the use of live fish in restaurants. At the end, Qin Pu said: "But the live fish at that time are not the same as the live fish now. ”
Chen Xiaoyan took over the conversation: "It's different, that's for sure, I came to the town to open a restaurant when I was a teenager, and I have seen huge changes with my own eyes over the years, and this change has given many ordinary people like me opportunities, and we are also changing in the process of development." However, no matter how it changes, Wujiang fish will not change at all. Qin Pu said: "Yes, we have worked hard to keep this unchanged. Let's go and see our current fish breeding base. ”
After saying goodbye to Chen Xiaoyan and leaving Jianglong Hotel, our group followed Qin Pu to Laojunguan Village.
Three
Although it is early autumn, the Wujiang Valley is still hot in the afternoon, and the heat and humidity make people feel stuffy. When we came to Laojunguan Village at an average altitude of 800 meters, the feeling of stuffiness was relieved a lot.
Spring flowers are blooming, and the scenery of Laojunguan Village, Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City is pleasant. Photo by Li Renjun
The roads in the village are winding and neatly paved with cement, and as you walk along the paths, the blue-tiled and white-walled houses appear and disappear in the vast expanse of green in the countryside. In a few moments, a body of water appeared in front of me. The water is irregularly shaped, curved and rotated with the terrain, and there are three square iron nets of several square meters supported by iron frames on the surface of the water, which look not much different from ordinary ponds. Wang Zisong said: "This is the Baijiaba aquaculture base, which is a villager group in Laojunguan Village. Looking at this piece of water, I didn't think I saw any mystery, I asked suspiciously: "Isn't this just pond fish farming?" Qin Pu said: "This is not the same, this is the water of the Aitian River, a tributary of the Wujiang River, for flowing water fish farming, and the introduced water is discharged back to the Aitian River after reaching the standard through the treatment facilities, and there are water treatment and breeding technology facilities under the iron mesh supported by those iron frames." I was surprised to hear that.
Qin Pu said: "In 2017, Banzhou Wujiang fish was awarded the 'Geographical Indication of Agricultural Products of the People's Republic of China'. ”
He explained in detail eight new technologies that are applied to the fishing industry. I said, "This is too professional, in a word, ecological fishery, even fish manure can be extracted and used in agriculture, is that right?" Qin Pu replied with a smile.
At present, there are 12 ecological facility fishery bases in Banzhou District, with a total of 146,700 cubic meters and an annual output of more than 2,000 tons, driving more than 500 professional employees and more than 8,000 flexible employees. It is estimated that the output of aquatic products in 2023 will be 16,000 tons, and the output value is expected to be 580 million yuan. There are 65 tofu fish restaurants in Wujiang Town alone, and the annual demand for fish is 1,500 tons.
I blurted out: "It's amazing that it has changed from an industry that seriously pollutes rivers to an ecological green industry!"
On August 1, 2017, the Seventh Ecological and Environmental Protection Supervision Group of the Central Committee gave feedback to the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government on the environmental protection inspectors such as "cage farming in the reservoir area is out of control, and excessive feeding aggravates the eutrophication of water bodies", and Guizhou kicked off the prelude to the remediation of cages in the water basin. By the end of 2018, the province had invested a total of 1.793 billion yuan in subsidies to ban 33,543 acres of cage farming, and the pollution problem of cage farming had been completely solved.
I often go in and out of Wujiang Town, and I often eat fish here, but I don't feel the change after the cancellation of fish cage farming, and I can't even feel the change in the freshness of the fish. I sometimes couldn't help but wonder, "Will it be transferred to a remote creek or river?", and my curiosity about how Wujiang tofu fish can maintain its taste for decades made me decide to take a walk around Wujiang Town during an interview along the Wujiang River.
Hearing me tell me the reason, Qin Puhaha laughed and said: "The representative species of Wujiang fish, the largemouth catfish and the long-snouted catfish, are demersal fish, which live in deep water below two meters, and small streams and rivers are not easy to raise. I quickly covered up my embarrassment with a hey laugh. Qin Pu said: "This type is not easy to turn. "I was about to ask when my fellow traveller, Jin Li from the Propaganda Department of the Banzhou District Party Committee, suggested going to the village committee office to sit down and talk.
Four
As soon as I sat down, I asked, "Eutrophication is a more technical term, have you felt any changes in water over the years?"
Wang Zisong said: "At that time, there was always a layer of oily foam on the Wujiang River, and the fishy smell could be smelled by the riverside. He couldn't help but wonder: If the water quality of the Wujiang River has deteriorated, will the water from the well he used to make tofu be affected?
Cao Guofei, who started contracting the Baijiaba Fish Farming Base in Laojunguan Village in September 2023, said: "As far as the eye can see, one-third of the entire river is covered with cage fish farming facilities, and boats can't pass through. Cao Guofei, 38, a farmer in Wujiang Township, started cage fish farming in 2012. In 2017, Cao Guofei's cages have grown from dozens to more than 200, and he is very heartbroken to dismantle them. However, he said: "Demolish it, let's lose a little, after all, we drank the water of this river when we were young!" In 2018, Cao Guofei started a cattle breeding industry after processing the fish and taking the subsidy money from the government. This year, he heard that the Baijiaba Fish Breeding Base was looking for a new contractor, so he raised fish while raising cattle.
Spring is in full bloom, the scenery of Laojunguan Village, Wujiang Town, Banzhou District, Zunyi City is pleasant, and a freight train transports goods from the old railway bridge of Wujiang River. Photo by Li Renjun
At that time, everyone thought that Wujiang fish could only be raised in the pond if they were not raised in the Wujiang River. The shopkeepers of the restaurant are very anxious and always worried: "Isn't this fish raised in the Wujiang River or Wujiang fish? Will the customers buy it?" Wang Zisong said: "Listening to what these shopkeepers are saying, our family is also worried, after all, tofu is mainly sold to these restaurants." ”
Qin Pu said: "In 2017, there were 398 cage breeding households in Banzhou District, with a breeding area of 1,129.3 mu and an annual output of tens of thousands of tons, which were exported to Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and so on. This is not only related to all aspects of an industry, but also to the brand of 'a fish' in Wujiang Town. ”
Luo Zhifang introduced: Banzhou District put forward the principle of "voluntary conversion, combination of planting and breeding, green development, recycling, and capital subsidies" to promote the conversion of cage farmers to production and business. At the same time, cultivate a green industry as soon as possible, and in the planning of the industry, how to solve people's concerns about "a fish" in Wujiang Town has become the focus of work.
Under the unified arrangement of the district, Qin Pu, who was still an ordinary technician at the aquatic station at that time, and a team of people rushed to Chongqing to learn Xi "simulating the natural flowing water environment to raise fish". Qin Pu said: "This technology can simulate the living environment of fish in nature, and the quality of the fish raised is better, which began to be used in the 80s of the 20th century, but it is not common, and it is not promoted in areas like Guizhou, where rivers are intertwined." Not long after the group returned from the Xi, the district introduced a company to build a 550-square-meter small farm in Leli Village, Yaxi Town, and took the lead in the province to try to raise fish with simulated natural flowing water environment technology.
In Qin Pu's words, the success of this farm is related to whether the fish breeding industry in the whole region can turn around. "We technicians stay on the farm almost every day, raising fish and giving them the feeling of taking care of newborns," he said. With the achievement of one indicator after another, Qin Pu's anxious heart calmed down and became more down-to-earth after experiencing excitement and joy, and when this steadfastness spread, people's worries about "a fish" in Wujiang Town began to be resolved.
Immediately afterwards, Banzhou District began to implement the Baijiaba Aquaculture Base Project in Laojunguan Village, Wujiang Town. In June 2017, Guizhou Province issued 30 million yuan for the project in the third batch of large and medium-sized reservoir area funds of the year, and the project started construction in October 2017. The estimated total investment of the planned project is 55.896 million yuan, covering an area of 1,300 acres, and the short-term, medium-term and long-term periods are planned to create a late-stage immigration support base dominated by aquaculture, with agricultural tourism, fruit and vegetable planting, ecological experience and rural tourism.
In May 2018, Banzhou District arranged a fund of 126 million yuan to completely dismantle the cages, and many fish farmed in cages were directly transferred to the new breeding base. In 2023, the water quality compliance rate of the provincial and state-controlled sections of the Wujiang River Basin in Banzhou District will be 100%.
Cao Guofei said: "I only contracted 30 acres of water area of Baijiaba Aquaculture Base, with an estimated annual output of 300,000 catties of fish and an annual output value of 3 million yuan. Wang Zisong said: "Don't just expect it, our village's collective economy is also counting on you to run a lot of money." ”
Hearing this, the whole room laughed. The conversation ended with this laughter. It was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, and when I was leaving Laojunguan Village to say goodbye, Jin Li suggested that I go to see another place.
After a while, we came to the observation deck of Pingtang Village, Wujiang Town. As far as the eye can see, five bridges span the river. Jin Li said: "These five bridges are: Wujiang Bridge of Sichuan-Guizhou Railway, Wujiang Double Arch Bridge of Sichuan-Guizhou Highway, Wujiang Cable-stayed Bridge of Guizun High-grade Highway, Wujiang Bridge of Lanhai Expressway, and Wujiang Bridge of Chongqing-Guizhou Rapid Railway. There are five bridges in less than three kilometers, and many say that they are a symbol of rapid development. ”
At this time, the sun falls on the top of the mountain like a ripe fruit, the sunset flows green and red flowers purple like colorful juice, the river surface is sparkling, half the river is green and half the river is red, the sky is blue, and the glow is dazzling. Five bridges of different lengths, widths, and shapes interpret the extraordinary significance of the moat changing into a thoroughfare between the green hills and the ravines.
Under the sunset, the Wujiang River Basin in Banzhou District, Zunyi City is colorful. Photo by Li Renjun
From only one chain bridge to five bridges with different structures, the changes in Wujiang Town can be described as earth-shaking, from the beauty of Wujiang fish in the past to the beauty of Wujiang fish now, it is in the same vein and has always maintained its fundamentals. Between change and change, it retains the nostalgia I am attached to, and gives many people like Chen Xiaoyan, Wang Zisong, and Cao Guofei a better life. This is to develop in inheritance and innovate in development. Inheritance, development and innovation are precisely the important factors for the continuity of Chinese civilization, and such civilization always leads the Chinese nation to a better future!
Since ancient times, great rivers have nurtured and carried human civilization. The Yangtze River and the Yellow River are considered to be the main birthplaces of Chinese civilization and have influenced Asian and even world civilizations. The Wujiang River is the largest tributary of the south bank of the Yangtze River, and its culture has its unique charm under the general tone of the Yangtze River culture, radiating Guizhou, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places.
Along the way, the taste of water, the taste of mountains, the taste of antiquity, the taste of history, the taste of nostalgia...... It has become a brilliant civilization in the Wujiang River Basin, which has lasted for a long time.
This is the unique taste of Wujiang.
Text/Guizhou Daily Tianyan News reporter Qiu Yi
Editor/Yao Man
Second Instance/Chen Xi
Third Trial/Huang Wei