Sightseers catch winter fishing festival

A visitor poses for a picture with the giant fish pulled out of the Chagan Lake in northeast China's Jilin province, Dec 28, 2018. [Photo/IC]

The start of the winter fishing season at a Jilin province lake－the only place in China where age-old traditional Mongolian fishing methods are still practiced－got off to a whopping start on Friday.

The price for the first catch at Chagan Lake this year－a 15-kilogram fish－broke the record at auction at 999,999 yuan ($145,560) during Friday's auction. It's not, however, that the fish is unusual. The buyer, Fujian Panpan Foods Co, made the purchase as a donation to the well-being of the lake.

"The money earned from the auction of the first fish will be put into the protection of the lake, including daily maintenance and stocking it with fry," said Zhu Fujin, deputy director of the Chagan Lake administrative committee. "We hope to see a better and more charming Chagan Lake."

More than 100,000 visitors attended the start of the Chagan Lake Fishing and Hunting Cultural Tourism Festival on Friday. It included an impressive ritual to recognize the age-old form of winter fishing on the frozen lake in the province's Qian Gorlos Mongol autonomous county.

Dances were performed by Buddhist lamas and the head fisherman addressed heaven, the land and the lake in chants, asking for a good harvest and a safe fishing season.

Chagan Lake, the country's seventh-largest lake and the largest freshwater body of water in Northeast China, boasts 68 varieties of fish. It is believed to have been a favored fishing location for over 1,000 years.

After the head fisherman signaled the spot where fish were expected to gather, more than 400 holes were drilled around the spot, 60 meters apart.

About 50 fishermen worked together to cast a 2,000-meter-long net through the holes and under the ice. Several hours later, the net was pulled out by horses with tens of thousands kilograms of fresh fish in it.

The traditional way of fishing is believed to date to prehistoric times.

In the following 40 days, more than 200 fishermen will work on the frozen lake from 4 am to 5 pm every day.

"It is expected we will receive a good harvest this winter," said Zhang Wen, 55, head of the fishermen. "We are allowed 1.3 million kilograms of fish through the whole (winter) fishing season, accounting for about one-sixth of the total amount of fish in the lake."

"The quota meets the needs of the market as well maintains the ecological balance," Zhang said. "Furthermore, we choose nets with relatively large holes that help catch adult fish and allow the smaller fry to escape. Only in this way can we go fishing every year."

Zhu, of the lake committee, said, "The winter fishing festival has become one of the most popular winter tourism attractions. It is expected to welcome more than 1.5 million tourists."

The traditional skills required for Chagan Lake winter fishing are now listed among the China's intangible cultural heritage. Folklore experts speak highly of the lake's winter fishing.

"The unique culture of fishing and hunting that remains is a comprehensive display of all that humans can achieve when trying to survive," said Cao Baoming, head of Jilin Folk Literature and Art Association. "We should diligently protect the traditional customs that have enriched not only our cultural heritage but also the (lives of the) local people."