Qingling fish is one of the best savory dishes in Jilin. The dish uses a special fish from the Qingling area, a small village in Jilin city's Jiaohe close to the Songhua Lake, the Qingling Forest Park and the Maple Valley. The dish can now be found in Guangdong and Beijing.

Traditionally, a large dish of cooked fish sits at the center of the dining table. Local custom dictates eating it with abandon.

The dish comes from the first batch of fish to break through the ice on the Songhua River every April and May. These wild fish don't have much body fat or waste left after a long winter, which makes their meat lean and fresh.