The city of Changchun, Jilin province began its annual winter fishing event at nearby Zhang Jiadian reservoir, on Dec 26.

In the early morning, when a 400-meter-long fishing net is carried to the middle of the reservoir, fishermen began using tools to cut a hole in the half-meter-thick ice.

Winter fishing festival opens in Changchun, Jilin province, on Dec 26, preceded by prayers for a good, safe, bountiful harvest. [Photo by Yuan Jigang/ccnews.gov.cn]

They continue digging many holes at an equal distance from each other, in a very large circle and using lines and wooden poles to open the net under the ice. Then, at 2:00 pm, three horses are used to turn an iron capstan to pull the ropes and cables and drag the net over to the edge hopefully full of fish.

Winter fishing in the area is said to go back more than 1,000 years and usually lasts about two months, starting at the end of December and running to just before Spring Festival when the fish can be easily preserved. Local custom also calls for a ritual just before the winter fishing to pray for a good, safe catch.

And, sure enough, as the net was drawn out there were cries of, "Look, the fish are out," as locals and tourists gathered to cheer. For a good reason: the catch had netted 10,000 kilograms of fish.