There is fish every year：How to eat New Year"s fish

The culture of eating fish is an important part of Chinese food culture. And there is a saying "no fish， no banAquet". All our eight cuisines are inseparable from fish dishes. This is because that China's food culture is inseparable from Chinese Pinyin "Xian" （fresh in English） which is combined by Chinese character "Yu" （fish in English） and "Yang" （sheep in English） and because the Chinese Pinyin "Yu" with its English meaning as fish has the same pronunciation with Chinese Pinyin "Yu" with its English meaning as surplus， "surplus every year" and "abundant wealth" and many other implications symbolizing affluence and prosperity are derived.

On the oldest and grand national festival， the Spring Festival， especially at New Year's Eve dinner， there must be a fish dish. Because New Year's Eve's fish is to bring wealth on table and suppress the evil outside the table.

China has a vast territory， so the ethnic customs are diverse， and the cultures and customs of fish eating at New Year's Eve dinner are colorful. However， there are several fish that are recognized by people throughout the country. The first one is carp， because the Chinese character of the fish has the same pronunciation with that of Chinese Pinyin of "Li" with the meaning of a state of ceremonies and gift. Chinese people believe that if you want to be well-off and wealthy in next year， you should eat more fish on the New Year's Day. Next is crucian whose homophonic in Chinese Pinyin is "Ji" with the meaning of auspiciousness， which means that auspiciousness will come the next year if you have crucian. The third one is catfish， because the pronunciation of which is the same with "Nianyu" with the meaning of surplus every year， therefore， eating catfish means surplus in the coming year. The fourth one is mandarin fish with the implication of "abundant wealth".

There must be fish dishes of local flavor on the dining tables of the thousands of families throughout the country during the Spring Festival. No matter in bustling Capital， Beijing， or in Hainan， the fish dish in New Year's Eve dinner is like thick nostalgia， home flavor and homesickness.