Derived from two papers given at the Second International Conference and Exhibition on Marketing and Shipping Live Aquatic Products '99. November 1999 2. Chairman, Hong Kong Chamber of Seafood Merchants Ltd. and General Manager of Brightfuture Industry Limited. In recent years this culture has spread to the people of neighbouring countries with large Chinese populations, including Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The Chinese word for 'fish' has the same pronunciation as the word for 'plentiful' and is an important symbol in traditional Chinese agricultural society.
Fish are essential at all dinner receptions.
This does not include minor amounts of live reef fish caught by local fishermen from the reefs in the South China Sea. Although reef fish dominate the live seafood market, also imported live are lobsters, mantis shrimps, crabs, shrimps, abalone and certain clams. Small quantities of coconut crabs, scallops and giant freshwater eels are imported live as well. Traditionally 'red' means 'good fortune' among the Chinese. Chinese hosts like to present a red coral trout at wedding, birthday or other celebration dinners.