A millennium-old grand winter fishing tradition, a bowl of fragrant fish and rice. On January 12, the 10th China Jingpohu Lake Winter Fishing Festival kicked off in grand style at the Jingpohu Lake scenic area in Mudanjiang. The thousand-year-old winter fishing tradition of Jingpohu Lake heated up the cold winter, once again presenting citizens and tourists with a festive carnival and a grand ice and snow feast.
That morning, the frozen lake, smooth as a mirror, was bustling with excitement as performances like dragon dances, lion dances, and Manchu yangge heated up the atmosphere. At 10:58, the melodious outdoor immersive live-action show "The Legend of Bohai: The Tribute Road" marked the grand opening of the millennium-old winter fishing tradition at Jingpohu. The tribute winter fishing scenes from the Bohai Kingdom era of the Tang Dynasty were vividly reenacted—ritual ceremonies, fishermen harvesting tributes, selecting and loading fish for inspection, sending sons as envoys, and setting off to pay tribute—bringing to life the rich regional history and millennia-old fishing and hunting folk culture. "Cast the net, heave-ho, heave-ho; catch the lake crucians, heave-ho, heave-ho!" With the fishermen's booming chants, the large net winch slowly turned, and the much-anticipated "first net of the new year" broke through the ice. Fish leaped and danced in the net as hundreds of visitors eagerly watched the harvest, capturing the spectacular "fish leaping in the frozen river" scene on their phones, their faces alight with wonder and joy.
The "first fish" of Jingpohu, symbolizing good luck and fortune, has always been a coveted prize among tourists. This year, after fierce bidding, the "first fish" caught in Jingpohu's winter fishing was successfully auctioned for 100,000 yuan. Visitors on-site unanimously agreed that experiencing the ancient fishing culture while admiring the winter charm of Jingpohu, along with savoring delicious fish soup, made the trip truly worthwhile. "The moment the fish was hauled out of the water was spectacular. The fish leaping from the lake symbolizes auspiciousness and heralds a prosperous start to the new year, with abundance year after year," said Mr. Sun, a tourist from Liaoning.
This winter, Jingpohu's first net fishing haul of 138,000 jin marked a successful start. The fishing culture at Jingpohu Lake dates back to the Tang Dynasty, flourished during the Liao and Jin periods, and has been passed down for over a thousand years. The world-renowned Jingpohu Lake Winter Fishing Festival has been successfully held nine times, once setting a winter fishing record with a single net haul of 860,000 jin. It has not only earned the brand of "National Exemplary Fishery Cultural Festival" but also boosted related industries by tapping into traditional cultural roots, achieving a more eco-friendly fishery model and the healthy development of the fishery industry.
The ice lake teeming with fish has heated up the ice and snow economy, breathing new life into the ancient fishing and hunting culture. In recent years, Mudanjiang City has adhered to the "ice and snow +" concept to promote integrated and embedded development of winter tourism and winter fishing production. By further exploring the cultural essence of ice and snow fishing, enriching the full spectrum of ice and snow tourism products, and refining premium winter fishing tourism routes, the city has created a winter fishing season experience featuring activities like watching ice fishing, appreciating folk customs, enjoying snow sports, and savoring local cuisine. This initiative has established the winter fishing season as a signature brand that highlights Mudanjiang’s unique culture and drives the growth of ice and snow tourism.
It is reported that the 10th China·Jingpohu Lake Winter Fishing Festival is hosted by the CPC Mudanjiang Municipal Committee and the Mudanjiang Municipal People's Government, and organized by the Heilongjiang Jingpohu Lake Management Committee, Mudanjiang Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism, Mudanjiang Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Mudanjiang Agricultural and Tourism Investment Service Co., Ltd., and Mudanjiang Jingpohu Lake Tourism Group Co., Ltd.
