Chagan Lake () is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

Jilin Jilin (; Postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three Provinces of China, provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, R ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. The name "Chagan" is from Mongolian (, transliteration : , Cyrillic mongolian : , transliteration MNS : ), meaning ''white / pure lake'' (see also Chagan River re. another

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

including the Mongolian adjective ''tsagaan''). It is often referred to as the Sacred Lake or Holy Water Lake () by local people. The lake is known for its traditional winter fishing, featuring a technique which dates back to prehistoric times.

Chagan Naoer winter fishing tradition

Chagan Lake is the only place in which the oldest of Mongolian fishing methods is preserved. It is listed as a National

Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. I ...

of the People's Republic of China. The annual Winter Fishing Festival is held to keep this ancient tradition alive. Fishermen first drill many holes through the thick ice and then use these holes to carefully position a 2 km net under the ice. The net and its catch is then hauled out of the largest hole by means of a capstan (see also

Whim (mining) A whim, also called a whim gin or a horse capstan, is a device similar to a windlass which is used in mining for hauling materials to the surface. It comprises a capstan or a wide drum with a vertical axle. A rope is wound around the drum, with ...

) turned by

Mongolian horse The Mongol horse ( Mongolian Адуу, ''aduu'': "horse" or ''mori''; or as a herd, ''ado'') is the native horse breed of Mongolia. The breed is purported to be largely unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. Nomads living in the traditio ...

s. The Lake set a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

of a single net that yielded of fish in 2006, and broke its own record with of fish in 2009. The principal species thus netted is the

Bighead carp The bighead carp (''Hypophthalmichthys nobilis'') is a species of cyprinid freshwater fish native to East Asia, and is one of several Asian carps introduced into North America. It is one of the most intensively exploited fishes in fish farming, ...

- a popular food fish, particularly at the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival () a ...

, when the consumption of fish is considered to bring good fortune in the year to come.

References

{{Authority control Lakes of China Bodies of water of Jilin Sacred lakes