Goldfish are native to China. Around the year 300, the Chinese began to observe natural mutations in rivers and ponds of the silvery cyprian in East Asia. This mutation of the silver goatfish was then called golden goatfish. The transition from the golden goatfish to goldfish was the result of the development of pond farming in China between the years 700 and 800.
It was during the reign of Emperor Koa-Tsung (1107-1187) that the breeding of different varieties of goldfish really developed. The emperor had stone ponds built in his palace for the breeding of fish, and the fashion was immediately taken up by the members of his court. Different varieties of goldfish began to appear around 1162. By this time goldfish farming had become a bourgeois fashion in China.
It was not until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that goldfish appeared in all Chinese homes when fish were kept in ceramic vessels. It was during this period that goldfish farming and keeping became a national hobby in China. This favored the development of many varieties such as egg goldfish or telescope, as well as double, triple, and quadruple tail fish.
The goldfish is considered to be a carrier of good luck in Asia, which partly explains its popularity.
Goldfish are exported
The first shipment of goldfish to foreign countries was destined for Japan, it took place around 1502. The real exports began between 1615 and 1623.
The Portuguese who had settled in Macao in 1549 (with the authorization of the Chinese) started to breed birds but also goldfish. It was in 1611 that goldfish were brought to Portugal for the first time.
In 1643 Jesuits settled in Hangzhou. They built churches and took an interest in local goldfish farming. A man named "Martini" took a special interest in it. While traveling to Holland, he brought with him 10 goldfish of various types.
In Amsterdam, around 1728, the first captive breeding of goldfish took place. This was the beginning of their breeding in fish farms throughout Europe.
In 1794, the goldfish arrived in Great Britain. They come from China, they are brought back by the ambassador of Great Britain during a visit to China.
It is thanks to a Chinese merchant "Fang Tang" that the United States discovered goldfish in 1852. He landed in the U.S.A., in San Francisco, to open a silk and porcelain tea store. In his luggage were goldfish!
In 1893 imports from Japan multiplied in Philadelphia. The first "sail tails" were developed in the vicinity of this city.