Trip across Jilin

I still can't imagine how they're going to catch fish under the ice with such a big net. I guess I'll understand, once I finally see it.

Chagan Lake is one of the 10 largest freshwater lakes in China. People live on its shores fish in the lake all year round. During winter, the way they bring the fish out of the water is quite unique. It's a very, very old method, and since it's still in use today, I guess it's still the most effective. The first thing to do is to drill a lot of holes through the two-foot-thick ice.

The trick is to get the net under the ice. Even if you see it for yourself, it's quite a while before you really grasp what's going on. Another question is how do they know where to place the net to maximize the catch; in other words, how do they know where the fish gather?

I can't see anything down there. But people have told me if you look carefully, you will see little bubbles, and experienced fishermen can tell which bubbles come from grass and which from the fish. So now they're going to catch the fish beneath this piece of ice.

So, how do they get the big net under the thick ice? What happens is that a rope is tied to a pole, which is inserted under the ice? The pole is pulled out of another of the holes. Eventually, the rope will pull the big net under the ice, and so the trap is set. The net is tied to both buoyant and heavy objects, so that part of it is pulled down to the lake's floor, while part floats just beneath the ice, opening the big net.

Fishman is moving the pole at the bottom of the lake forward. It's like they're sewing up the big ice.

And so, little by little, the big net is inserted beneath the ice. Usually, the net is left in place for a day, before it's hauled in. The moment when the net is pulled in is really exciting. It鈥檚 so heavy that horses have to be called in to help.

Watching the fish being hauled up in this most primitive of ways, standing on the boundless ice lake beneath a dull sun, surrounded by the merry crowd; it's a moment that will remain in my memory forever. Amazingly, a single net has been known to yield as much as 50,000 kilograms of fish. No wonder the fishermen are so respectful of the lake. It can be really generous.

Is this the biggest today?

Yes. This is the head of the fish.