When Fuhai county in Altay prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is blanketed by snow in the bone-chilling winter, the fish in the county's Ulungur Lake are, apparently, at their tastiest with their exceptionally delicate flesh.

In a tradition stretching back more than six decades, fishermen dig holes on the lake's frozen surface, cast nets into them and haul tons of the fish up through the ice.

The county has turned the start of the annual fishing practice into a cultural event by holding a winter fishing festival to attract tourists from nearby areas to come to experience the lively, magnificent scene of winter fishing as well as sample and purchase the fresh ingredients.

On Saturday, a solemn lake-worshipping ritual was held to raise the curtain on the county's fifth winter fishing festival.

Visitors can also have fun with various ice and snow activities, such as riding snowmobiles, sledging and skating.

The event has attracted more than 80,000 tourists and achieved a comprehensive tourism income in excess of 20 million yuan ($3.15 million). The first fish caught at the start of the festival, weighing 18 kilograms, was put up for auction and fetched 418,888 yuan.

Zhang Haijiang, a veteran fisherman who grew up in Fuhai county, says that Ulungur Lake is like a treasure trove for local fishermen.

"We should dig deep into the local culture and better pass down our traditions," he says, adding that the winter fishing festival helps to add another sparkle to the county's winter allure.

Fuhai county received more than 1.7 million tourists last year, with tourism income surpassing 1.03 billion yuan.

The S21 expressway that connects Altay prefecture in the northwest of the region, with Urumqi, the region's capital, has been in service since December 2021 and tourists are able to drive from Urumqi to Fuhai county within three hours.

It is estimated that tourists heading to Fuhai county could rise by 500,000 in 2022, according to Na Yan, director of the county's culture and tourism bureau.

"To fully prepare for this year's winter fishing festival, we have trained staff from the service departments of local restaurants and hotels since July," says Na, adding that recreational activities such as skating, dragon boat racing and snow tubing have also been organized to attract a larger group of visitors to have fun during the winter season, while also creating a celebratory atmosphere for the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

To ensure that Ulungur Lake can be sustained over the long term by the natural regenerative power of the environment, the local government has endeavored to increase the lake's capacity over recent years.

The 1,035-square-kilometer freshwater lake, which has more than 20 fish species, is an important aquaculture production base in Xinjiang. A large number of fry are released into the lake every year to guarantee the sustainable development of the lake's ecology, says Wang Zhiling, director of the county's aquaculture development center.

Contact the writers at xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn