Red Scale Fish
As its name indicates, red scale fish is a fish with red scales. It is a traditional local food and is sometimes called Stone Scale Fish. It is a rare wild fish living in the deep spring water of the Peach Blossom Valley (Chinese:桃花溪) and Rear Rock Basin(后石坞).
The fish is 10 centimeters long and is about as thick as a human pinkie, but rich in protein and fat.
Since the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), all emperors would hold mountain worship rituals in Taishan and the fish were given a perfect chance to be known by the emperors, especially Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty, who ate the fish each time he visited Mount Taishan.
Many ancient poets, like Li Bai and Du Fu from the Tang dynasty (618-907), had also tasted the fish. That's why red scale fish from Mount Taishan are appreciated by many people and were listed the top famous local food in the Mount Taishan area.
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