In China's coldest places, tourism warms up

Fish of fortune

Every winter on the frozen Chagan Lake, an impressive winter fishing ritual that dates to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) takes place.

The first catch of the season－a 23-kilogram fish－set an auction record of 2,999,999 yuan at the opening ceremony of the 19th Chagan Lake Fishing and Hunting Cultural Tourism Festival on the lake.

The buyer, the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce in Jilin province, paid the record sum as a donation to support the continued maintenance of the lake, including protecting its water quality and stocking it with fry, according to Shan Guojun, Party secretary of the Chagan Lake fishery.

A group of fishermen worked together to cast thousands of meters of nets through holes they had drilled in the ice on the frozen lake's surface early one morning.

Several hours later, the nets, bulging with fish, was winched out by horses walking around a mechanical wooden capstan.

The traditional skills of Chagan Lake winter fishing were listed as an intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Such activities, including the Jilin Rime Ice and Snow Festival, the Chagan Lake Fishing and Hunting Cultural Tourism Festival and the Jingyuetan Vasa International Skiing Festival, have built Jilin's brand. Its ice and snow exhibition and other activities have marked an integrated path in the development of cultural tourism, Yang said.