Yellow-lipped fish, also known as Qianyu (鱼无), also known as (鱼高) by people in Fujian and Guangdong. Wenzhou people call it Huanggan, and it belongs to the bony fish class Perch, which is the same as the kingfish family. It is a rare bottom fish that is warm and temperate in coastal waters.

The yellow-lipped fish is a unique fish species in China. It has a long body, flat sides, a slender tail stalk, and a protruding snout. The head is covered with round scales, the body is covered with silver dollar-like comb scales, and the back of the body is brown-gray with orange. Yellow, ventral side is gray, with a black spot under the arm of the pectoral fin; the eyes are like copper bells, located on the upper side; the mouth is located at the end, with oblique clefts; the teeth are small, the upper extra row teeth and the lower frontal inner row teeth are enlarged; the dorsal fin is continuous; the second fin of the anal fin is The spines are thick and long, and the caudal fin is wedge-shaped. It is a valuable and rare fish.

According to old fishermen, before liberation, yellow-lipped fish were often caught along the coast of Wenzhou and were regarded as top-quality tonics. In particular, the fish fat (commonly known as "isinglass") was very precious and vegetarian. There is a saying that it is "as valuable as gold". Although the yellow-lipped fish looks like a yellow croaker, its swim bladder has a special shape. It is cylindrical with a wide and flat front end. A pair of slender side tubes (commonly known as beards) about the same length as the swim bladder protrude from both sides and go deep into the human body wall. Within the muscle layer, there are no limbs on the side of the swim bladder. The upper part of its swim bladder is covered with thick collagen; it is golden yellow, bright and shiny, and has drum-like ripples. The special effect of isinglass is to nourish liver and kidney function, just like Korean ginseng, and it is very good at stopping bleeding. It is especially effective in curing the disease of pregnant women such as postpartum hemorrhage. Therefore, in the past, if a fishing village caught a yellow-lipped fish, the whole village would celebrate and eat it. The fish bladders were dried in the sun and kept for emergency use in times of maternal hemorrhage, which shows the simplicity of the folk customs. It is said that a 130-pound yellow-lipped fish was caught in Beisha Township, Dongtou County in 1957. The fishermen took out the swim bladder and dried it before sending it to Beijing as a tribute to the great leader Mao Zedong. The General Office of the Central Committee returned him to Zhao and wrote a letter of thanks.

The main production areas of yellow lip fish are along the coast of Guangdong and the fishing grounds of southern Fujian. They live in offshore areas with a depth of 50 to 60 meters. Young fish live in estuaries and nearby coasts. They are generally 1 to 1.5 meters in length, and the largest ones can reach more than 50 kilograms. This fish feeds on shrimps, crabs and other crustaceans and small fish. It likes muddy water against the current and hates strong light; it migrates to the coast from March to June to lay eggs and reproduce. During this period, due to the vibration of the air in its swim bladder, it makes a charming sound underwater, which is sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and has a musical melody. Its sound can be heard in the surrounding sea area 100 meters away. In the past, there was fishing from time to time in Wenzhou’s Dongtou, Nan and Beiji fishing grounds and the mouth of the Oujiang River.

It is understood that there are still many people who have eaten yellow lip fish. Several old fishermen who have been engaged in fishing for more than 30 years talked about the taste of yellow lip fish with old fisheries. They all thought that the taste was very average and the meat was very ordinary. It is petal-shaped, rough, and far less delicious than large yellow croaker. According to an old director of Ruian City, yellow-lipped fish maw was not very rare in the 1950s and 1960s. The purchase price per catty was 96 yuan, which was equivalent to one tael of gold at that time. The annual purchase volume is about 10 kilograms, and it is sold by Chinese medicine shops as high-end supplements (Chinese medicinal materials). In terms of medical value, it is as rich in collagen as isinglass. According to analysis, 500 grams contains 442 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 250 mg of calcium, 145 mg of phosphorus, and 13 mg of iron. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it has the effect of strengthening the body, strengthening the essence, and strengthening the body. Modern medical research shows that it can be used to treat tuberculosis, rheumatic heart disease, aplastic anemia, vasculitis, neurasthenia, and women's menstruation. It is also effective in preventing and treating allergic hemorrhagic purpura, kidney deficiency, low back pain, and esophageal cancer.

Some veteran fishermen also said that removing the yellow-lipped fish bladder requires very good skills. It must be peeled off slowly and the two "beards" on both sides of the swim bladder must not be broken, otherwise, it will not be sold. Good price.

As for the current price of fish maw, it is difficult to say. If we consider it to be "as expensive as gold", based on the current price of gold of 130 yuan per gram, a pound of gold is about 65,000 yuan, and a fish weighing 100 pounds is about 65,000 yuan. For lip fish, take about 3 pounds of fresh glue and about 500 grams of sun-dried fish. Then one fish is worth tens of thousands of yuan. As for academic research, it should be treated separately. You may not know that the nautilus, known as the "living fossil" in the sea, is worth 100,000 yuan each. Some people are ignorant of the treasure and made news that they ate 100,000 yuan in one bite.

In addition, folklore says that the liver of yellow-lipped fish is poisonous, so it should be discarded and not eaten. A cadre of Pingyang County Fisheries Bureau made a bold attempt in the 1970s. Within one or two days after eating, his face became normal. After the third day, the face began to peel, turning into a big painted face. After a week, the old skin peeled off and new skin grew. It looked youthful and healthy. People who have eaten yellow-lip isinglass said that they should eat it in moderation every day. Eat about 10 grams at a time. Eating too much will make you feel drowsy like being drunk. It is said that some people who overeat will sleep for three days and three nights before waking up.