Chagan Lake, about an hour southwest of Songyuan, is one of the ten largest freshwater lakes in China and the setting for an extraordinary winter tradition that has been designated a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The annual Winter Fishing Festival, held each December and January, is the main reason visitors make the journey to this part of Jilin Province.
The fishing method is ancient: nets are deployed under the ice by drilling a series of holes, then horse-drawn capstans haul the net to a central opening in the ice, where thousands of fish — primarily bighead carp — are pulled up in a single enormous catch. The ceremony is a spectacle of cold-weather working culture that has few equivalents anywhere in China. In summer the lake is pleasant and considerably less crowded; boat trips and birdwatching are available, and the surrounding wetlands support a significant migratory population. The lake's sheer scale — 307 square kilometres of flat water under a huge northern sky — is impressive in any season.