Wulungu Lake Winter Fishing Festival | Desert fishing town, walking in the snow to find fish

Most people come to Xinjiang in winter for the snowy scenery of Kanas. But in addition to winter tours in Kanas, there are many other attractions in Xinjiang in winter, such as winter fishing.

After Xinjiang introduced the winter fishing technology from Northeast China, it integrated it into the local Kazakh folk customs and culture, forming a winter fishing culture with Xinjiang characteristics.

Ulungu Lake, also known as Brentuo Sea and Dahaizi, is located in Fuhai County, Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It is said that at the beginning of the 13th century, Genghis Khan's army passed by here during the Western Expedition and saw the vast misty water with clouds and fog.

I was amazed that there was such a piece of water mist in the desert, which can be called a "sea given by heaven", so I called it Ulungu. Ulungu is Mongolian, which translates as "cloud", a romantic and poetic name. The Han people call it Fuhai, which means good luck and good luck.

In early November every year, Ulungu Lake begins to freeze. From December to March of next year is the fishing season. The ice layer on the lake is up to 1 meter thick and the snow cover is 30 centimeters. The ice was three feet deep, and hundreds of people worked together to cut through the ice to catch fish. Thousands of fresh fish jumped off the ice, their scales dazzling, and it was extremely spectacular.

The indigenous fish species in Ulungu Lake mainly include more than 10 kinds of fish, including carp, crucian carp, blue perch, red perch, white-spotted pike, Oriental bream bat, and Yaluo fish. In addition to enjoying the sightseeing, visitors can enjoy a whole fish feast with excellent color, aroma and taste. Among them, fish stew with asafoetida and mushrooms is a famous specialty of Altay and is delicious.

The culture of winter fishing can be traced back to the Liao Dynasty about 1,000 years ago. Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Holy Emperor would also make a special trip to the waters of today’s Chagan Lake during this winter. return".

In 1958, after the Altay region established its first winter fishing production team, dragnet fishing technology was introduced from Jilin to Ulungu Lake. It has a history of 60 years of winter fishing.

The most spectacular and exciting moment of winter fishing is when the net is raised and the fish is taken out. Under the pulling of the net winch, a dozen fishermen on the left and right line up and shout, slowly pulling out the big net. The network is about 2 kilometers long.

The heavy net was pulled out of the water. On the steaming ice, there were scattered small fish hanging on the net. The fisherman quickly picked off the unformed small fish and put them into the release hole. One after another, the big silver fish jumped out of the water. .

According to old fishermen in Fuhai, 83 tons of fish were once caught in one net in Ulungu Lake, and dozens of strong young men fished from the ice holes for a day and a night before they were all finished.

The highlight of the winter fishing ceremony - the gathering of the sacred fire, was performed by an ice angel who won the N round of selection, dressed in Kazakh costume and holding a torch with both hands, igniting the enthusiasm of the people in Fuhai for winter fishing.

In addition, the Winter Fishing Cultural Tourism Festival has the unique "Qiaxiu" of the Kazakh people. Integrating a strong Kazakh style, winter fishing in Ulungu Lake is the most rich form of fishing with northwest China's sentiment and horseback ethnic charm.

Head fish auction

According to tradition, the heaviest carp pulled out of the first net can become the "head fish". No other fish species, no matter how valuable they are, cannot enjoy this honor. The head fish symbolizes spirituality and wealth, with plenty of food and good luck every year. People rush to buy it for good luck, and the head fish on Gili Lake in Ulungu Lake symbolizes great fortune and good fortune.

"Sacrifice to the lake and wake up the net"

"Sacrifice to the lake" and "wake up the net" are important rituals at the beginning of the Winter Fishing Festival. As a traditional festival in Fuhai, the annual Winter Fishing Festival attracts a large number of tourists. Firstly, it is to protect all living things. The local residents can be healthy, and the second is to wake up the fishing nets sleeping in winter through waking up the nets, so that they can spend the next year smoothly and safely.

At the annual Winter Fishing Cultural Tourism Festival, we can see the fishing torch collection ceremony, the "Lake Sacrifice, Awakening the Net" ceremony, the winter fishing big net, the first fish auction, the release of fish to accumulate blessings, and the grabbing of fish to receive blessings.

Outdoor cultural and sports events, ice sculpture art exhibitions, and a series of activities such as ice dragon boating, horse-drawn sledges, snowmobile lake tours, and viewing of the thousands-mile-long frozen Ulungu Lake are also held on site.

There are also many special snacks for winter fishing tourism and cultural activities, such as pilaf, grilled fish, milk tea, spicy skewers, etc. The whole fish feast also attracts many foodies.

Go to Kanas to see the snow scenery. Ulungu Lake is on the way from Urumqi to Kanas, so friends who want to go to Kanas are in luck.

You can add another interesting experience to your itinerary. Moreover, if your schedule is not rushed, there are Tianshan Tianchi and Guhai Hot Spring on the first stop from Urumqi to Fuhai.

Watching the snow scenery and soaking in hot springs is the right way to start your winter trip to Kanas. If you don’t want to go back on your way back, it’s also a good choice to go to Urho to see the World Devil City.

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Hope this guide can help you! If you want to travel to Xinjiang in winter, please leave a message or private message for consultation, and I will do my best to answer your questions!

Travel tips:

1. Transportation: There is no shuttle bus directly to the Fuhai winter fishing site in Urumqi in winter. It is recommended to charter a bus.

2. The 2020 Winter Fishing Festival has not started yet. You can plan your travel time according to the official activity schedule.

3. Winter fishing location: Ulungu Lake in Fuhai County, Altay Region, Xinjiang

4. Winter fishing time: January 18-19, 2019 , (refer to previous years in 2020). Please look forward to the 2020 Winter Fishing Festival

5. In addition, the temperature in Xinjiang is relatively low in winter, so remember to bring warm clothes.