Weighing 40kg and extending 1.5m, Beijing's king fish recently auctioned for a whopping 380,000 yuan ($55,718), kicking off Miyun county's King Fish Auction and Gourmet festival.

The herring that was twice as heavy as last year's winner, was found in the Miyun Reservoir, which opens for fishing in autumn after five months of quiet.

The catch was among the 50 tons of fish caught on the first day of fishing in the reservoir. Every fall, more than 5,000 kg of fresh reservoir fish are sent to the market.

This is also the season when fish lovers head to the nearly 100 restaurants, more than 2,000 folk families and over 100 fishery communities in Miyun to tuck into delicious fresh fish.

Lovers of fish should make sure they do not miss out on the unique fish of Miyun Reservoir - the "golden carps of Chao and Bai Rivers", also called "mermaids", or a slice of this year's "king fish". This Reservoir is known to have thrown up a herring 182cm long and weighing 72kg. But you would also do well not to leave out the smallest fish from the reservoir, such as the Japanese pond smelts, which are only as long as one's finger but extremely delicious.