"Does the beauty of Jiangnan still remain? Amidst peach blossoms and flowing waters, the Knifefish grows plump…
"Does the beauty of Jiangnan still remain? Amidst peach blossoms and flowing waters, the Knifefish grows plump."
The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Southern Mountains documents the Knifefish as a bizarre beast with a long, impossibly thin head and a body resembling a sharp blade. In reality, it is widely recognized by the common folk as the daggerfish. Beyond the famous Yangtze River variety, those caught in Hebei were also an essential staple of fish consumption during the Song Dynasty. Every day, thousands of loads of fresh fish would pour into the capital through the Xinzheng, Xishui, and Wansheng gates. Even in the dead of winter, merchants would transport catches from the distant reaches of the Yellow River. Locals fondly called them "Wagon-Delivered Fish," and they cost less than a hundred copper coins per catty.