Chum salmon is a precious migratory commercial fish native to the Heilongjiang and Ussuri Rivers. They hatch in freshwater rivers, mature in the ocean, and return to their natal rivers to spawn and die. Each adult chum salmon weighs three to four kilograms, featuring thick flesh with minimal bones. Its roe is especially prized: soybean-sized, golden and translucent like pearls, a luxurious delicacy served at state banquets.

Chum salmon, also known as dog salmon, inhabits northern Pacific waters across the United States, Japan, Russia, Canada and China. As an anadromous migratory fish with a lifecycle of "born in rivers, raised at sea, and perishing where they hatched", they are likened to overseas wanderers returning to their homeland. Before the 1950s, migratory chum salmon were occasionally spotted in the Suifenhe, Tumen, Songhua and upper Heilongjiang Rivers. By the 1980s, sightings became rare in the middle Songhua and Ussuri Rivers. In recent years, Fuyuan, China’s easternmost city, is the sole domestic habitat for wild chum salmon. Fuyuan’s roe features plump grains harvested at peak ripeness with rich color and mellow taste, superior to roe produced in Japan and Russia. It sells briskly nationwide and enjoys an outstanding reputation across European markets.

A four-year-old female chum salmon lays 3,500 to 5,000 roe grains, each the size of a soybean, bright scarlet and translucent as red agate. Rich in phosphates, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D, three roe grains deliver nutritional value equivalent to one whole egg.

As an old saying goes: Those living by mountains live off the mountains; those dwelling by rivers live off the waters. The Hezhe ethnic group residing on the Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China subsists entirely on fishing, crafting clothing from fish skin and relying on fish as their staple food. Over generations, the Hezhe have developed diverse fish processing techniques, the most iconic of which is raw fish salad.

Often described as the Hezhe equivalent of sashimi, it differs markedly from Japanese sashimi in preparation.

Primary raw material: Common fish from the Songhua River basin including common carp, Amur sturgeon, kaluga and bighead carp. Auxiliary ingredients: Potato, mung bean sprouts, sheet jelly/vermicelli, chili oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar.

Remove two large fillets of fish meat from the bones and slice them into connected thin shreds. Blanch shredded potato, mung bean sprouts and sheet jelly in boiling water. Toss the fish shreds and blanched vegetables with oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil to complete this uniquely flavored Hezhe specialty.

Simple to prepare, raw fish salad delivers a light, fresh, one-of-a-kind savory taste.

Fujin Rice is a signature specialty of Fujin City, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province. The Fuzhijin brand organic rice is cultivated in the Sanjiang Plain wetland of Fujin, one of the world’s three recognized major black soil regions. Fujin Rice is defined by firm texture, robust grain structure, premium quality and soft, fragrant palatability. It holds certification as a National Geographical Indication Trademark.

Fujin boasts abundant diverse resources forming a solid foundation for investors. Vast flat plains, world-famous wetlands, captivating modern agriculture and unique pristine ecological zones converge here. Located at the core of one of the planet’s only three alluvial black soil plains, the territory holds over 5 million mu of fertile farmland stretching endlessly flat. It bears the titles "Hometown of Northeast China Rice" and "Hometown of Chinese Soybeans", functioning as a national key commodity grain production base, a national advanced agricultural city, a state-level key agricultural technology demonstration zone and a national pilot county for ecological agriculture, earning the moniker "Granary of the North" both domestically and internationally.

Fujin sits on the same latitude as Hokkaido, Japan’s primary rice-growing region, dominated by flat black soil plains. Its total cultivated land spans 9.2 million mu, accounting for 1/200 of China’s total farmland, with per capita cultivated land for farmers ten times the national average. The three neighboring towns producing Fujin Rice — Shangjieji, Jinshan and Changan — feature meadow soil and black earth with loose texture balanced in water, fertilizer, air and heat, thick topsoil layers, strong water and nutrient retention and high latent fertility. The average organic matter content reaches 5.2%, peaking at 8.4% — six times the national average and double the provincial standard, exceeding national Grade I farmland benchmarks to form optimal rice-growing soil.

Water resources are exceptionally abundant: water bodies cover 1.06 million mu across nine major rivers, with ten large-scale irrigation districts. The Xingfu Irrigation District alone boasts a designed irrigated area of 306,000 mu, ranking among China’s national large-scale irrigation works. Underground water reserves are ample. The three rice-producing towns are flanked by the Bielayinzi and Duijin mountain ranges; mountain snowmelt and spring water fully infiltrate the ground, forming widespread loose porous aquifers with thick, stable water reserves delivering premium irrigation water ideal for rice cultivation.

Firm texture, robust grain structure, premium quality and soft, fragrant palatability.

Certified by the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, "Fujin Rice" holds official National Geographical Indication Trademark status.