Winter fishing festival opens at Qinhu Lake

The winter fishing festival at Qinhu Lake attracts many visitors. [Photo/Taizhou Daily]

The 2026 Qinhu Bay Winter Fishing Festival opened on Jan 31 at Qinhu Lake, drawing thousands of visitors to the lakeside for a vibrant celebration blending folk traditions, fishing heritage, and cultural experiences.

In a highlight of the event, more than a dozen fishermen worked together to haul in a 2,500-meter-long fishing net from the lake's icy waters. As the net slowly tightened, fish, including bighead carp, yellow cheek carp, and black carp, splashed and leaped, symbolizing abundance and good fortune. This year's winter catch is expected to reach 250,000 kilograms.

A series of fish king unveilings added excitement to the festival. A 25-kilogram bighead carp, a 33-kilogram yellow cheek carp, and a 43-kilogram black carp were presented to the crowd, with visitors invited to guess their weights. A resident from Hailing district won a prize of Qinhu crab roe buns for making the closest guess.

The atmosphere reached its peak during the auction segment. The bighead carp and yellow cheek carp sold for 6,666 yuan ($974.56) and 8,888 yuan, respectively. The highly prized black carp, the largest catch of the day, drew intense bidding and was finally sold for 66,666 yuan.

The winning bidder, a local business leader, said the fish would be made into traditional dishes such as fish balls and fish cakes and donated to elderly residents and war veterans, adding a charitable dimension to the festive occasion.