Chefs put more than 1,000 puffer fish into a giant pot at the freshwater fish festival that opened in Yonglian town of Zhangjiagang city, Jiangsu province on April 1. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhangjiagang city in Jiangsu province hosted its 2018 food festival featuring seafood from the Yangtze River in Yonglian town on April 1.

Tourists from the port city and surrounding areas threaded their way through Yonglian town to get a taste for the tempting delicacy.

At the opening ceremony, six chefs put more than 1,000 puffer fish into a giant pot with a diameter of three meters and a depth of around one meter.

According to executive chef Li Ajiang, the puffer fish cooked in the festival, which each weighed about 50 to 100 grams, were all bred in Yonglian town.

It is a great challenge for chefs to fully bring out the flavors and fragrance as traditionally the dish is served in small, delicate bowls. At the opening ceremony tourists were able to sample the fish for 20 yuan and later were able to enjoy new dishes at Yonglian’s restaurants.

The town will also host the Zhangjiagang traditional snack fair and intangible cultural heritage project exhibition. Visitors will be able to taste delicacies such as saury wonton, plum cake and crystal dumplings and admire intangible cultural heritage projects like sugar painting and tiger-head shoes.

Yonglian town, situated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtzer River, boasts unique freshwater resources. It has 16 professional fishing teams and more than 100 fishermen who work every season to provide authentic wild freshwater fish.

The town has also been honored by the Chinese Cuisine Association as "the hometown of Chinese freshwater cuisine" and "the hometown of Chinese Saury cuisine".

The festival will run until May 1. This is the ninth year Yonglian is hosting the food festival. Last year, Yonglian Town received 800,000 tourists and gained tourism revenue of 130 million yuan ($20.9 million) during the freshwater fish festival.