Fishing festival promotes Faku’s tourism brand

The first Caihu Lake Winter Fishing Festival opened in Faku county in the city of Shenyang in northeastern Liaoning province on Dec 28, according to local officials.

Winter fishing is an important tradition in fishing and hunting way of life in northern China.

Officials said the festival was an effort by Faku to boost its tourism industry -- combining recreational fishing, sightseeing and cultural activities.

After a year-long moratorium on the lake, locals were finally able to welcome the fishing season. The first batch of fish were caught on the morning of Dec 28 and weighed more than 80,000 kilograms, locals said.

Some 50,000 kg of the catch were snapped up on the spot and the other 30,000 kg were ordered by tourists.

The biggest of all the fish caught was sold at a price of 9,999 yuan, after several rounds of bidding at an auction.

Caihu Lake is a natural lake with the largest reservoir capacity and has the deepest water in northern Shenyang.

Locals say it has pristine water and a healthy ecological environment, suitable for the growth and breeding of rich categories of fish.

Meanwhile, it has won a well-deserved reputation as a water, land and air scenic tourist spot.

It is also something of a low-altitude tourism mecca in Northeast China, but with high-altitude skydiving, aviation VR, simulated space capsules, aerospace simulators, helicopter flights and drone performances also on offer to tourists.

Fishermen haul a net out of the frozen Caihu Lake during the first Caihu Lake Winter Fishing Festival on Dec 28. [Photo/chinanews.com]

The first batch of freshly caught fish is pulled out of the frozen lake during the first Caihu Lake Winter Fishing Festival on Dec 28. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Some of the first batch of fish caught from Caihu Lake are selected to heads straight to the pot, ready to serve hungry bystanders on Dec 28. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Freshly caught fish from the Caihu Lake are cooked on site during the first Caihu Lake Winter Fishing Festival on Dec 28. [Photo/chinanews.com]