Occupational training adds vigor to grilled fish industry

People enjoy their leisure time on Guangyang Isle in southwest China's Chongqing, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

CHONGQING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Wanzhou Grilled Fish, a household dish originating from Wanzhou District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, has now become an official major.

With a history of over 700 years, the dish can be found in more than 16,000 restaurants in China. However, due to a lack of standardized culinary systems and talents, its inheritance has been impeded and needs some new impetus.

To better preserve the local delicacy, Wanzhou established a training center that provides a 3-year course for students majoring in Wanzhou Grilled Fish at the artificer college of Wanzhou, Chongqing, while also providing training for amateurs at different levels.

"In the past, people who wanted to learn the skill of grilled fish had limited choices. They could only work in the related restaurants to learn the skill. With the training center, we can offer a complete education system and attract more participants," said Xiang Hong, director of the training center.

Xiang added that the training center is a good example of how Wanzhou integrates occupational training with its local industry. In Wanzhou, there are nearly 3,000 restaurants featuring grilled fish, garnering annual sales amounting to over 2.5 billion yuan (about 358 million U.S. dollars), while providing more than 30,000 jobs.

"What we want to do is not just to pass on basic skills, but also to create more products and improve skills that are tailored to the new market," said Wu Chaozhu, a teacher at the training center who is also a chef with over 40 years of experience in making grilled fish.

Xiang Jie, a student at the center, felt delighted to study grilled fish. "I like cooking, so the grilled fish major suits me. I hope to develop a good command of this skill and to open a grilled fish restaurant in the future," he said.

The training center is just a small part of the industrial chain Wanzhou is establishing for grilled fish. To guarantee raw and other materials, Wanzhou has planned to set aside nearly 60,000 mu (4,000 hectares) for fish and over 60,000 mu for other necessary materials. There are also factories for processing fish or seasoning.

"Wanzhou is stepping up its efforts to extend the grilled fish industry chain and creatively boost its value. The training center is a good practice for industry convergence. The training center's goal is to cultivate 2,000 talents for the industry and make the whole industry scale top 10 billion yuan in 2025," said Luo Min, vice director of the commerce commission of Wanzhou.