A Fish's Global Journey: Decoding Taizhou's Entire Aquatic Product Processing Chain

In Songmen Town, Wenling, Taizhou, "xiang" (dried fish) is no longer just a wind-dried seafood delicacy — it has become the link in a complete industrial chain spanning fishing, quick-freezing, deep processing, and global export, serving as a vibrant local industrial symbol.

"Salt heavily, rinse lightly, dry thoroughly." Chen Xinwei, the inheritor of the traditional processing technique of Songmen dried fish (bai xiang), sums up the essence of this thousand-year-old craft in several words. As a Zhejiang provincial intangible cultural heritage item, this ancient craftsmanship is now deeply integrated with modern technology, bringing Songmen dried fish from the coast of the East China Sea to international tables. Its core advantages are reflected in three aspects: First, source freshness control — the fishing grounds are within just three kilometers, allowing freshly landed seafood to enter the cold chain within one hour, firmly locking in the deep-sea essence. Second, ancient methods renewed — adhering to the thousand-year-old traditional techniques documented in the "Xiang Jing," while relying on standardized modern workshops to achieve quality control throughout the entire process of brining, drying, and freshness locking. Third, industrial chain extension — a single fish, through deep processing, can be transformed into authentic dried fish, ready-to-eat seafood, seasoned semi-finished products, and other diverse items, reaching tables across the globe.

Translator：Jiayang Lin