Chagan Lake ( zh, c=查干湖, p=chágān hú) is a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The name "Chagan" is from Mongolian (, transliteration: , Cyrillic Mongolian: , transliteration MNS: ), meaning ''white / pure lake''). It is often referred to as the Sacred Lake or Holy Water Lake ( zh, t=聖水湖, s=圣水湖, p=shèngshuǐ hú) by local people. The lake is known for its traditional winter fishing, featuring a technique which dates back to prehistoric times.

Chagan Naoer winter fishing tradition

Chagan Lake is the only place in which the oldest of Mongolian fishing methods is preserved. It is listed as a National

Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

of the People's Republic of China. The annual Winter Fishing Festival is held to keep this ancient tradition alive. Fishermen first drill many holes through the thick ice and then use these holes to carefully position a 2 km net under the ice. The net and its catch is then hauled out of the largest hole by means of a capstan (see also Whim (mining)) turned by Mongolian horses. The Lake set a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

of a single net that yielded of fish in 2006, and broke its own record with of fish in 2009. The principal species thus netted is the

Bighead carp The bighead carp (''Hypophthalmichthys nobilis'') is a species of cyprinid freshwater fish native to East Asia, and is one of several Asian carps introduced into North America. It is one of the most intensively exploited fishes in fish farming ...

- a popular food fish, particularly at the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

, when the consumption of fish is considered to bring good fortune in the year to come.

References

{{Authority control Lakes of China Bodies of water of Jilin Sacred lakes

Chagan Naoer winter fishing tradition

See also

References