From late December to February of the following year, Chagan Lake, one of the top ten freshwater lakes in China with an area of over 400 square kilometers, enters a concentrated winter fishing season. Although the temperature was as low as minus twenty degrees Celsius and the cold wind mixed with ice was like a knife cutting on his face, it was just another ordinary workday for Yu Tou Li Hailong and his companions.

Underneath the Ice: The Eye of an Old Head and a Thousand Year Old Technique

The average thickness of this ice layer is 70 centimeters, and the lake water below is over 6 meters deep. Our job is to find schools of fish and 'invite' them up from under the ice, "said the 48 year old fisherman, rubbing his hands, which were red from the cold, with a confident tone. As the leader of the fishing team, his primary task is to accurately determine the location of the "fish nest" under the ice layer based on decades of accumulated experience.

After finding the approximate position of the fish swarm, the fishermen waved heavy ice and began to break the ice. Ice chips splattered, and a net ice cave about 3 meters long and 1 meter wide gradually formed. Subsequently, a giant fishing net that was 1200 meters long and 1000 meters wide was slowly lowered into the ice cave through connected poles. The mesh size of the fishing net is strictly kept at 6 inches to ensure that only large fish are caught and small fish can reproduce. By skillfully manipulating the pole, this large net slowly unfolds under the dark ice, forming a surrounding circle and ultimately leading to an ice cave hundreds of meters away. This technique of walking under ice has been passed down for thousands of years.

Pulling a winch: Symphony of power and shock of culture

After several hours of waiting, as noon approached, the time to close the network arrived. This is the most visually impactful part of winter fishing. The fishing net weighs thousands of pounds when submerged in water under the ice, and modern machinery has retired here, replaced by an ancient and powerful method - a horse drawn winch.

Five tall horses were tied to a huge wooden winch, and under the drive of fishermen, they began to run around the winch, as if pulling the millstone of history. The hooves stepped on the ice, making rhythmic "clanging" sounds, and the winch creaked and turned, tightening the heavy ropes inch by inch. Tourist Zhang Yong from Harbin stared intently at this scene and exclaimed excitedly, "It's so shocking! I came specifically to see this ancient horse drawn winch. The wisdom of the ancients is truly remarkable, and it feels connected to history

This is the soul of winter fishing in Chagan Lake. In 2008, the "Chagan Naoer Winter Fishing Customs" was included in the Chinese National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. It not only preserves unique fishing methods, but also the survival philosophy and cultural heritage of northern ethnic groups adapting to and utilizing nature.

Fish Leaping and People Enjoying: The Industrial Leap from Ice Lake to Dining Table

When the winch finally pulled the pole and the large net out of the water, lively and jumping fat headed fish, carp, silver carp, and crucian carp gushed out, instantly covered with white frost in the extremely cold air. In just a few minutes, the fresh fish is naturally frozen, locking in the most primitive deliciousness. They were quickly transported to the nearby Chagan Lake fishing ground.

In the warehouse of the fishing ground, fresh fish are piled up like mountains. Among them, the "Super Fat Head King" weighing over 13 pounds is packaged in exquisite red gift boxes, stacked layer by layer, waiting to be sent to various parts of the country. The temporary business point of the logistics company is located next to the warehouse, and the couriers are busy sorting, packing, and pasting orders. Yu Yang, the head of the e-commerce department of Jilin Chagan Lake Fisheries Co., Ltd., introduced that the annual winter fishing output of Chagan Lake is stable at around 3 million kilograms. In recent years, e-commerce sales have emerged as a new force. "During peak periods, about 3000 packages are sent to the whole country every day, allowing more consumers to taste authentic Chagan Lake fish

Winter fishing has long surpassed simple fishery production and become the core engine for the development of the Chagan Lake region. The local area is making every effort to create a year-round tourism pattern of "winter fishing, spring sightseeing, summer lotus viewing, and autumn bird watching". The inheritor of the technique of making dried fish, Dan Guoqiang, sighed: "In the past, we mainly relied on fishing for a living, but now it is a comprehensive industry that integrates fishing, tourism, sports, and culture

In the villages and towns around Chagan Lake, farmhouses and homestays have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. At noon, Zhu Jiao, the owner of "Chagan Lake Fisherman's Courtyard", was busy stewing a pot of fragrant chubby fish for southern tourists. From the initial three small tile houses to the current two small buildings, her business has flourished along with the popularity of Chagan Lake. The lake water is clear and there are more fish. The key is that tourists not only come to watch winter fishing, but also play snowmobiles, participate in lake races, taste whole fish banquets, and are willing to stay for a few more days, "Zhu Jiao said with a smile.

In the Chagan Lake Fishing and Hunting Culture Museum, thousands of years of fishing and hunting history and folk culture quietly tell the stories of our ancestors. The story of Chagan Lake is about inheritance and innovation, from primitive fishing and hunting that relied on the gifts of nature to modern industries that complement resource conservation and green development today. On the ancient ice lake, the joy of a bountiful harvest of "fish every year" is truly transformed into a beautiful life of "surplus every year" for the people, playing a symphony of harmonious coexistence between nature and culture.Editor/Yang Meiling