The picture is a scroll. Prosperous Suzhou (8)

Ancient Suzhou was famous as "the land of fish and rice". This is not surprising. Suzhou is located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, on the shores of Taihu Lake and the Grand Canal.
Suzhou was famous for its exquisite cuisine, which dates back to the "boat dishes" of the Tang Dynasty. Noble people had feasts on boats, so that they could enjoy not only the delicious food, but also the beautiful scenery.
The pearl of Suzhou's culinary heritage is Karp-Belka.
Legend has it that once, on one of his inspection trips in southern China, Emperor Qianlong (乾隆) visited the city of Suzhou and, dressed in common clothes, wandered the streets for a long time, listening to the conversations of the townspeople.
Hungry, the emperor went to the Pine and Crane restaurant (松鶴). Seeing fresh carp on the sacrificial altar (according to some sources, it was a Chinese perch - auha), Qianlong ordered to cook this fish for him. Despite the fact that the fish laid on the altar was intended as a sacrifice to the gods and ancestors, but not for food, the cook could not refuse the visitor, as he recognized him as the emperor.

To avoid the wrath of the gods, the chef prepared the fish so that it resembled a squirrel in shape, since the word for squirrel (松鼠, songshu) was pronounced in tune with the name of his restaurant (松鶴, songhe). The Emperor liked the dish very much, and the chef received the highest praises.

Since then, fish prepared in this way has become known as protein fish. The dish quickly gained popularity throughout China and can now be found on the menu of any reputable Chinese restaurant.