中国·福州——热爱城市从热爱美食开始

Strong Consumption, High Popularity, and A Festive New Year Atmosphere

Fuzhou Attracts Visitors with Its Abundant Seafood and Fresh Flavors

Workers are busy sorting abalones at the Mingcheng Strait Aquatic Product Trade Center. (Photo by Reporter Ouyang Jinquan)

Food is an essential part of the Spring Festival celebration. At the Mingcheng Strait Aquatic Product Trade Center in Mawei, the largest spot market for aquatic products in China, lively shrimp, plump crabs, and a wide variety of shellfish create a stunning visual display. What are the prices of aquatic products like during the first month of the lunar year? Which aquatic products are popular? On the 3rd, the reporter visited the market for an in-depth exploration.

“The 50 parcels of goods will be shipped to Chongqing, and the 200 parcels will be sent to Hainan...” At the entrance of Mingcheng Trade Center, Mr. Lin, the manager, was busy instructing workers to pack abalones into baskets. The reporter observed that over ten workers at the shop were busy weighing and packaging abalones. Some of the abalones were eight-head abalones (meaning 8 pieces per 500 grams), while others ranged from five-head, six-head, seven-head, to ten-head abalones. The fewer the number of pieces per 500 grams, the higher the price.

“Our abalones mainly come from Lianjiang and Ningde. After sorting and packaging by size, they are distributed nationwide,” Mr. Lin said. His shop only closes on New Year’s Eve, and sales have surged in recent days. Some customers even purchase 100 to 200 parcels at a time. “We ship out more than 1,000 parcels of abalone daily, totaling around 5,000 kilograms. Prices are good this year. The wholesale price for eight-head abalone is about 43 yuan per 500 grams, while that of six-head abalone can reach 50 yuan.”

Normally, customers are mainly wholesale buyers, but during the Spring Festival holiday, a growing number of individual buyers join in purchasing aquatic products, making the market much busier. “How much is the yellow croaker?” “How heavy is the squid?”... Some citizens were carefully selecting their desired items at various stalls, while others were inquiring about prices or bargaining. The reporter noticed one customer purchasing an entire basket of Babylon shells in one go.

“This is the jellyfish skin I just bought. I’m going to treat my guests from out of town with it.” “This is the hairy crab I just bought.”… On the Bus M2 from the Mawei Qingzhou Bus Terminal to the South Railway Station, elderly passengers were talking excitedly about their purchases from the Mingcheng Strait Aquatic Product Trade Center.

“Normally, we don’t start selling until around 4 p.m., but now we arrive at the market as early as 7 a.m. and stay busy until after 7 p.m.,” said Mr. Wang, a seafood wholesaler. This year, most aquatic product prices stay largely the same compared to last year, although some products have seen significant price drops. For example, 500 grams of shrimp were sold for 25 yuan last year, but is now priced at 18 yuan. 500 grams of high-quality extra-large ribbonfish, which reached a peak price of 60 yuan last year, is now available for under 40 yuan. The favorable prices provide consumers with a wider range of choices.

“The market gathers aquatic products from nearby fishing ports and even from all over the world. With a nationwide sales network, it offers merchants a ‘one-stop’ shopping experience,” said the head of the Fujian Frozen Foods Association. Fuzhou sources protein from the ocean. More than half of the seafood at the Mingcheng Strait Aquatic Product Trade Center comes from overseas, including shrimp, ribbonfish, squid, Pacific saury, Spanish mackerel, salmon, and tuna.

The head of the Mingcheng Strait Aquatic Product Trade Center said that the Spring Festival marks the busiest trading period of the year, with daily traffic peaking at nearly 10,000 vehicles. “In response to the wider variety of aquatic products, more diverse sources, and increased trade volume during the holiday, we have stepped up inspections to ensure the safety of the aquatic products on citizens’ dining tables,” said an official from the Mawei District Administration for Market Regulation. The trade center has a frozen product reserve of over 65,000 tons, with an average daily trade volume of about 2,000 tons. (Fuzhou Daily Reporter: Ouyang Jinquan, Correspondent: Mao Shuwen)