Ice fishing attracts tourists to Jingpo Lake's winter festival

The local winter ice fishing is a millennium-old tradition dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when fish harvested through the ice were sent as tribute to the imperial capital Chang'an, today's Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

The fishermen chanted and slowly lowered a massive net into the icy depths. The climax came when dozens of them worked together to haul the net up, revealing a spectacular harvest of fish leaping onto the ice.