Like a hunter showing off his trophy, Chinese authorities have unloaded 4,000kg of “Diaoyu islands’ fresh fish” on the Shanghai market.
This has allowed several people to express their patriotism by buying seafood instead of smashing Japan-made cars, something which was seen during the recent agitation about the group of disputed islands claimed by both countries.
The fish arrived in boats escorted by armed vessels of the Chinese coast guard, amid loud protests by the government in Tokyo.
China has turned its claim over the Japan-controlled islands into a sentimental issue by encouraging marches across the country and now the sale of Diaoyu fish in its most prosperous city.
Along with a bounty of tuna, cuttlefish and mackerel came another curiously named fish netted around the Diaoyu islands: the rubber fish, also called the green horse-faced puffer. Many saw it as part of the government’s attempt to provide citizens a heady mix of nostalgia and patriotism since the rubber fish used to be a favourite dish in Shanghai in the 1950s.
Children and grandchildren from families who fished around the Diaoyu islands decades ago also joined the fishing missions.
These families have now given up their traditional occupation because of the attractions of rising prosperity in Xiangshan in the highly industrialized Zhejiang province.
The fish sale sparked animated discussions on the Chinese internet, with some questioning if such acts really amounted to patriotism. Are those who buy New Zealand fish or Japanese cars less patriotic, asked some users of Weibo.
2013 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.