Fishermen started to punch holes on the ice's surface — with tools similar to those used hundreds of years ago — in the early morning of Dec 28 when the temperature was -30 degrees Celsius to prepare for the grand opening ceremony.

The position of the holes decides how much fish can be captured. The leader of the fishermen, who is called as "Yubatou" in Chinese, would select areas where there are more fish according to his experience and the other team members made holes every eight to nine meters.

Fishermen wait to cast fishing nets. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

When the preparations were done, people including fishermen, lamas, and tourists began to look forward to the start of the worshipping ritual, derived from ancient and mysterious Mongolian culture.

Lamas perform a ritual dance during the worship ceremony. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]