Free Fish, Free Chinese Culture

Free Fish, Free Chinese Culture 

Friends around me always think I am an odd bird, because I don’t eat fish. I should say that I am a kind person so much so that I love fish and hardly bear to eat them. Just as the saying goes “Fish swim in vast sea as freely as birds fly in boundless sky.” I want to be a fish.

I am a fish
I am a fish，
swimming in the deep sea，
following the air bubbles
to search for your message.
I have a wish，
to look for your soul and your body.
I am a fish，
swimming in the sea quietly，

where to go，
to find your vestige.
I swim to the south sadly，
thinking you are there，
living happily.
I have no ability
to change you and the death.
I swim and swim，
like you disappearing slowly.

Chinese Free Fish Painting

Apart from this, have you ever heard of the story of Zhuangzi and the Happy Fish?

Zhuāngzǐ was an ancient Chinese philosopher.  One day, he and his friend went out to enjoy the afternoon and saw fish swimming back and forth in a stream.  Zhuāngzǐ   said:  "Look at those fish. How happy they are."   His friend said: "You are not a fish. How do you know they are happy?  Zhuāngzǐ said: "You are not me.  How do you know I don't know the fish are happy?" A brilliant exposition it is. Actually in Chinese many idioms and sayings are strongly related to fish. Fish is not only a very important part of the dinner table but also part of people’s life and spiritual needs. Consider the Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”, which shows the true friendship. What’s more, “If you want happiness for an hour; take a nap.  If you want happiness for a day; go fishing.   If you want happiness for a month; get married.  If you want happiness for a year; inherit a fortune.  If you want happiness for a lifetime; help someone.” Hope you can enjoy them and learn something from them.

Chinese Nine Fishes Painting

Besides the words aspect, in Chinese，the character for fish is pronounced the same as the Chinese character for “abundance” or “surplus”.  Therefore, the fish symbol is frequently associated with other symbols and Chinese characters to symbolize the wish for “more” in the sense of “more” good luck, good fortune, long life and children. As a fish served whole is a symbol of prosperity, it is customary to serve the whole fish last at a banquet. It is also believed that eating fish will help the wishes come true in the next year. What’s more, fish is an important symbol in the Buddhist religion and are among the auspicious signs on the Footprints of Buddha. The fish on the Buddha footprints signifies freedom from all restraints. The most popular fish motif found in Chinese art and culture is that of the Carp or Koi fish. Known to most Westerners as Koi Fish, the Chinese carp has numerous symbolic values within Chinese culture. The carp is a powerful symbol of strength and perseverance.