Ba Fish Liver Soup

In the autumn of 1929, Yu Youren (1879–1964)—celebrated calligrapher and elder statesman of the Republic of China—traveled with his wife and friend Li Genyuan to Lake Tai to admire the osmanthus in bloom. Returning by boat through Mudu town, the party dined at Stone Family Restaurant. The kitchen prepared a specialty soup of spotted mandarin fish liver, called ban-gan soup in the local dialect. After eating, Yu wrote an impromptu poem in his famous cursive: 'Osmanthus blooms fragrant across the land; I walked all round the shores of Lake Tai; on the homeward boat through Mudu I shall long remember: many thanks to Stone Family for their ba-fei soup.' Being a Shaanxi native, Yu had misheard the soft Suzhou dialect—writing a different fish character for the spotted fish, and 'lung' for 'liver' since locals called fish liver 'fish lung.' Journalists spread the story; diners flocked to Stone Family Restaurant; and the misspelled name, backed by a master calligrapher's brushwork, permanently replaced the original.

The soup arrives almost perfectly clear with a pale gold tinge, its surface still as a mirror. The fish liver is ivory-soft—barely a nudge with the spoon and it breaks, releasing a flood of unctuous richness. The side meat is finer than any steamed fillet, carrying only pure sweetness and zero fishiness.

The spotted mandarin fish is prized because its liver has an unusually high lipid content—analogous to the foie gras principle. Poached at 70–75°C with no visible bubbles, the liver proteins denature slowly and uniformly, releasing fat-soluble umami compounds without toughening. Fish components are cooked separately and combined with the stock only at serving, preventing the fragile liver proteins from overcooking. Ham and bamboo shoots supply a layered glutamate-inosinate synergistic umami base that amplifies the liver's inherent richness while keeping the broth visually transparent.