CRI听力:Business Booming for Traditional Ice Fishing on Chagan Lake

Tons of fish were pulled out of holes dug by fishermen dressed in traditional dress -- fur hats and white sheepskin coats.

Fishermen are quite satisfied with their harvest.

Zhang Wen is the head of a fishing crew.

"The fish we caught this year are heavier and bigger, thanks to putting baby fish into lake. It's been good. We preserve them by controlling the mesh size. Our mesh size is very big. We all use such kind of net to fishing around."

Chagan lake is located in the Qian Gorlos Mongolian Autonomous County in Jilin Province.

It is one of the biggest freshwater lakes in China, and the practice of winter fishing goes back nearly 2,000 years ago.

Each winter, the Mongolian fishermen brave temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 30, and use the centuries-old technique to catch fish.

The first catch of winter is considered auspicious, usually attracting thousands of visitors.

For the fishermen, the day starts early and ends late in Chagan, but the catch certainly makes the day worthwhile.

With a growing reputation, the ancient fishing method drew a large amount of visitors to watch the big fishing event, with a lake worship ceremony and spectacular fishing scenes.

Chan Junguo is the general manager of Chagan Lake Fishing Farm.

"In the past, it is a single purely fishing production, fishing economy. Now the tourism economy has blended in the fishing economy. They interact with each other and help each other forward. So the simplex industry evolved into two industries."

With visitors eager for a taste of the famous fish, the farm is also adopting some new sale techniques.

Zhang Wenping is the sales manager of the fishing farm.

"In the past, we have had retail stores. Considering the competition this year, the sales is likely to be better as the online sales figures seem to be larger than that of past few years."

However, the people of Chagan will not let success get to their heads.

They know, as they have for centuries, that the fishing season is a reminder of the delicate balance of nature and that the lake will continue to provide only as long as it is protected.

For CRI, this is Xiong Siqi.