"Cast the net, heave-ho, heave-ho, catch the lake crucian carp, heave-ho, heave-ho." Accompanied by the fishermen's powerful and resonant work chant, the large rubber wheel of the net slowly turned, and the much-anticipated "first net of the New Year" broke through the ice, with lively fish leaping joyously in the net.

On January 12, the 10th China Jingpohu Lake Winter Fishing Festival, themed "Millennium Winter Fishing, a Bowl of Fish and Rice Fragrance," kicked off at the Jingpohu Lake Scenic Area in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province. Visitors from across the country gathered by Jingpohu Lake to witness the grand winter fishing spectacle, admire the ice lake's leaping fish, and savor the fishing and hunting culture.

That morning, the frozen, mirror-like lake was bustling with activity, featuring dazzling performances such as dragon dances, lion dances, and Manchu yangko. At 10:58, the ancient and melodious outdoor immersive live-action show "Bohai Legend: The Tribute Road" kicked off the millennium-old grand winter fishing event at Jingpohu. The tribute scenes from the Bohai Kingdom era of the Tang Dynasty were vividly recreated—ritual ceremonies, fishermen harvesting tribute offerings, selecting and loading fish for inspection, sending sons to serve in the court, and setting off on the tribute journey—bringing to life the rich regional history and the millennia-old fishing and hunting folk culture.

On the scene, the first net of the winter fishing at Jingpohu Lake yielded 138,000 kilograms of fish, and the "first fish" was successfully auctioned for 100,000 yuan. Visitors to Jingpohu Lake not only enjoyed the thrilling spectacle of "thousands of fresh fish leaping out of the ice gates" up close but also explored themed areas like the Jingpohu Lake · Bohai Snow Kingdom Winter Fishing Festival — featuring "Asian Winter Games Splendor," "Snowy Ningguta," and "Bohai Snow Kingdom." In the "Snowy Ningguta" zone, they toured the reconstructed ancient Ningguta city, witnessed the city-opening ceremony, watched the "Snowy Ningguta" theatrical performance and cliffside ice acrobatics, and learned about Mudanjiang's historical culture, including Qing Dynasty exiles, Manchu traditions, and immigration history. At the "Bohai Snow Kingdom" zone, visitors marveled at snow and ice sculptures recreating the prosperous Tang Dynasty Bohai Kingdom, retraced the "Bohai Kingdom Tribute Route," and immersed themselves in millennia-old history. They also enthusiastically sampled northeastern culinary delights like sticky bean buns and fresh Jingpohu Lake fish soup, savoring the unique flavors of the region.

Jingpohu Lake boasts a long-standing fishing and hunting culture as well as a winter fishing tradition, with documented records of winter fishing dating back to the Tang Dynasty. By the Liao and Jin periods, it had gained widespread fame, once setting a winter fishing record of 860,000 catties in a single net. Today, Jingpohu's winter fishing has evolved from a "one-day festival" into a "season-long event," innovating beyond the original fishing trilogy of "lake worship," "net awakening," and "net lifting" by incorporating more performance elements featuring traditional ethnic culture and ice-and-snow scene experiences. The ice-and-snow fishing and hunting cultural tourism activities have become increasingly diverse and vibrant.

From the opening of the Winter Fishing Festival to mid-to-late February, winter fishing performances and the live-action show "The Bohai Legend: The Tribute Road" will be held daily on Jingpohu. To enhance the Winter Fishing Festival brand and continue writing the new legend of the "land of fish and rice," Mudanjiang City will further focus on brand elevation, ecological aquaculture, and integrated development. Aligning with tourism market demands, the city will rationally utilize and develop core elements such as fisheries, fishing villages, fishermen, and fishing culture, actively creating a distinctive regional fishery brand. Efforts will also be made to elevate the reputation of Longjiang cold-water fish, conduct fish stocking activities to ensure species diversity and ecological balance, and develop new cultural-tourism formats like the West Lake Xiuyu Fishing and Hunting Leisure Camp. This has paved a new path for the fishery-tourism industry, integrating functions such as fishing culture heritage and leisure tourism.

(Guangming Daily all-media reporter Zhang Shiying, correspondents Tang Fenglai and Bao Yinghan)