Artifact of the Month: Shark Fins
By Mai Wah Curator Janna Norby
The shark fins in the Wah Chong Tai Mercantile are from the closing of the store in the early 1940s when Charlie Bovey bought the contents and took everything to Nevada City.
The benefits of shark fin, documented by old Chinese medical books, include the following:
- rejuvenation
- appetite enhancement
- nourishing to blood
- beneficial to vital energy
- strength to kidneys, lungs, and bones
Shark fin treatments generally come in tablet or powder form for medicinal use. In Chinese shops such as the Wah Chong Tai, you could buy whole dried shark fin.
Though few medical studies have been completed and little or no proof has been provided, shark fin has been touted as a cancer treatment, a sexual potency booster, skin quality enhancer, heart disease prevention, and a means of lowering cholesterol and providing balance to qi, energy.
魚翅 Shark Fin Soup
Shark fin soup has been a popular Chinese delicacy since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when it was considered to be a luxury item for the elite. Today, animal rights organizations and others oppose the inhumane treatment of sharks in harvesting, and some nations, states, and cities ban the use of shark fins for soup or other purposes.
Research and text by Janna Norby. Photo by Dick Gibson. The Wah Chong Tai Mercantile exhibit is made possible by a loan from the Montana Heritage Commission, and significant financial support from the Confucius Institute of the University of Montana.
