The inaugural Wanlv Lake Fishing Festival is set to take place on July 1st at Wanlv Lake in Heyuan, Guangdong. On the day of the fishing festival, visitors will not only get to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wanlv Lake but also participate in a variety of interactive activities.

Wanlv Lake is the largest artificial lake in South China, covering an expansive water area of 370 square kilometers. The water quality has consistently met the national Class I standard for surface water, making it a key siteof high-quality drinking water resources in China. It is also recognized as one of the first batch of "China's Good Water" sources and a natural oxygen bar in China. Due to its pristine water quality, the lake is home to delicious fish such as mandarin fish, catfish, and eel, known for their tender meat. Tofu andHakka Niangjiu (a type of rice wine) made with water from Wanlv Lake,and even tea brewed with its water all have an exceptionally sweet taste.

"Yipinxian (First ClassFreshness)",one of the top ten featured gourmet foods in Dongyuan, originates from Wanlv Lake, and its story has been widely circulated. Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, a poor scholar from Lianping County in Heyuan was on his way to the capital for the imperial examination. When passing through the Nanhu Lake area of Xinfeng River (before Wanlv Lake reservoir was formed), he ran out of food and couldn't find a village or store nearby. Just as he was enduring hunger, he spotted a fisherman paddling downstream on a bamboo raft. He immediately waved and asked the fisherman to come ashore, explaining his predicament. The fisherman, seeing the scholarly appearance of the young man, generously said, "I don't have anything to eat on my boat except the fish I just caught. If you don't mind, we can share it together." The scholar expressed his gratitude and the fisherman quickly grabbed a grass carp from the fish cage, lightly rubbed it with salt, and cooked it in a heated casserole. The scholar had three bowls of fish soup and asked for the name of the dish. The fisherman chuckled and said, "Shui Zhu Yu" (Water-Boiled Fish )." The fisherman didn't ask for any payment from the scholar, who repeatedly expressed his gratitude and promised to repay him in the future if given the chance.

Many years later, the scholar had risen to a high-ranking official in the imperial court. When he returned to his hometown and passed through Nanhu Village, he diligently inquired and eventually found the fisherman. He presented the old man with generous gifts to express his gratitude and requested the fisherman to prepare the unforgettable fish soup again for him. It was later revealed that the scholarwas none other than Yan Jian, a renowned imperial official serving as the Governor-General of Zhili Province with the title of Minister of War, officially ranked the first class (Yipin in Chinese).

After Yan Jian's passing, the emperor ordered a grand burial befitting royal standards, fulfilling his wish for his soul to return to his hometown and rest peacefully by the picturesque banks of the Xinfeng River. Yan Jian's tomb is the largest ancient tomb in Lingnan since the Ming and Qing dynasties and is currently designated as a key cultural heritage site at the city level.

寻“鲜”万绿湖，就在本周六！首届万绿湖开渔节约定你

首届万绿湖开渔节将于7月1日在广东河源万绿湖举行。开渔节当日，游客不仅可以领略万绿湖的优美风景，还可以参加丰富多彩的互动活动。

万绿湖是华南地区第一大人工湖，拥有370平方公里浩淼水域，水质长期保持国家地表水I类标准，是中国优质饮用水资源开发基地、首批“中国好水”水源地之一、中国天然氧吧。因其水质好，湖内的鱼，如桂花鱼、鲶鱼、鳝鱼等肉质十分鲜嫩，用万绿湖的水做出的豆腐、客家娘酒，以至泡出来的茶都格外清甜。

东源十大旅游特色美食之一“一品鲜”便源自万绿湖，它的由来有一个流传甚广的故事。相传清朝乾隆年间，有一个河源市连平县进京赶考的穷书生，中午路经新丰江（万绿湖未筑水库前名称）南湖区域附近，因所带干粮吃完，前不见村后不着店，正饥饿难忍之时，刚好见江中有一渔夫撑着竹排顺流而下，马上招手请渔翁靠岸，说明原由，渔夫见是一赶考书生，长得气度不凡，就说：“我船上也没有可吃的东西，只有刚打上来的鱼，若不介意，可做来一起吃。”书生连声道谢，只见渔夫从鱼笼中抓起一条草鱼杀好，简单地用盐擦拭一下，放到已被柴火烧热的砂锅里煎煮成鱼汤。书生连吃三碗，问这道菜叫什么名字，渔夫哈哈一笑说：“水煮鱼”。渔夫也没有要书生的饭钱，书生再三道谢，称日后若有机会一定答谢。

多年后，书生已成朝廷大官，返乡时再经过南湖村，经多方打听寻找到当年的渔夫，继而送上大礼答谢，并请渔夫再做一顿让他终生难忘的鱼汤给他吃。过后，人们才知道此人便是当朝大名鼎鼎以兵部尚书衔任直隶总督的颜检大人，官至从一品。从此人们将此道湖鲜菜称为“一品鲜”。

颜检仙逝后，皇帝下旨按皇室规格厚葬，并以他的遗愿魂归故里，安眠在风景秀丽的新丰江畔。颜检墓为明清以来岭南最大古墓，现为市级重点文物保护单位。

文、图｜羊城晚报全媒体记者 吴奕镇 通讯员 彭冰
翻译｜刘佳慧
责编 | 王楠