Red dragons: New fortune givers!

Beijing, June 28: The red dragon is back in China, but it carries an endangered warning and a walloping 8,000 U.S. dollar price tag. The same price as a family car and much more money than the annual Beijing wage.

But this is a price that many Chinese are prepared to pay for the privilege of owning their own personal dragon. Although this comes at an even higher price for the fish themselves.

The red dragon or Arrowana fish has been fished almost to extinction and is now an endangered species. The wild fish is only found in one place, in the upper reaches of the Kapuas River in western Borneo, Indonesia.

In some countries; including the United States, owners require a permit to keep one. Like a good wine, red dragon fish become more valuable with age, the older they are, the more expensive they are. They live to up to 25 years and can grow up to one metre long.

General Manager Tom Chiu recently opened a red dragon shop in Beijing. He is confident that there is huge profit to be made in the China's new luxury consumer market. "As China's economy develops the middle class is maturing and the middle class population is getting larger.

As a symbol of upper class life taste, keeping fish is becoming a trend amongst these people. We think that it's a good time for us to enter the market," said Tom Chiu. Chinese people believe that their nation are descendants of the dragon and place high value on dragon symbolism.

The fish's red and gold colourings are traditionally lucky colours in China which, combined with its name, dragon, make it a sought after commodity. Silver arrowana's are not yet on the danger list, they are therefore substantially cheaper and are often a substitute for the Asian arrowana.

The arrowana lives for around 25 years, it earned the name water monkey in South America for its habit of jumping out of the water to catch its food. In the wild it has been seen to jump nearly two metres out of the water to catch bats or small birds.

Wen Jun is one of China's new breed of fish enthusiasts, like many Chinese Arrowana owners he prefers to keep his fishy fortune a secret. He has even refurbished an entirely separate building to hold his dragon aquarium and sincerely believes his dragon fish have brought him luck in life and work.

"After I started keeping dragon fish, I felt better both in my work and life. Maybe it brings me self confidence. After all this fish is a kind of feng shui fish. You know, Chinese people believe in feng shui. So this feng shui fish has brought me luck that I had never expected."

Most red and gold dragon fish now spend their lives as the prize exhibit in a wealthy Chinese home.

Wen Jun argues that this is necessary to ensure the species continues to thrive, albeit in captivity. After all, a dragon fish should be at home with the descendants of the dragon.

Bureau Report