查干湖，原称查干泡、旱河，蒙古语为“查干淖尔”，意为白色圣洁的湖，是位于吉林省西北部的前郭尔罗斯蒙古族自治县境内的河成湖，历史上曾是嫩江主河道的一部分。
ChaganLaketouristresortislocatedinqiangorosMongolianAutonomousCountyofSongyuanCity.ItisanationalAAAAscenicspot,aNationalWaterConservancyScenicSpot,aNationalNatureReserveandoneofthetop100tourismbrandsinChina.IthasbecomeanimportantfisheryproductionbaseinNortheastChinaandagrasslandtouristscenicspotintheWestofJilinProvince.
ChaganLakeiscalled"Chagannur"inMongolian,whichmeansawhiteandholylakewithawaterareaof506squarekilometers.ItisoneofthetoptenfreshwaterlakesinChina,thelargestgrasslandLakeinnorthernChina,andthelargestinlandlakeinJilinProvince.Itisalsoafamousfisheryproductionbase,reedproductionbaseandfamoustouristattractioninJilinProvince.
ChaganLakeisrichinnaturalresources.Therearemorethan20kindsofwildanimals,suchasfoxes,rabbits,badgers,and9kindsofOrientalWhiteStork,blackstork,RedCrownedCrane,whitecrane,whiteheadedcrane,GoldenEagle,whitetailedseaeagle,greatbustard,andChinesemerganser,whichareunderthefirst-classnationalkeyprotection.Thereare35speciesofwhiteswan,blackfacedSpoonbillandsoonunderthesecondlevelnationalkeyprotection.Therearemorethan80kindsofpreciousbirdsand200kindsofwildplants,including149kindsofmedicinalplants.ChaganLakeisrichincarp,silvercarp,cruciancarp,Wuchangfishandother15familiesof68speciesoffish,withanannualoutputofmorethan6000tonsoffreshfish.Amongthem,"ChaganLakefatheadfish"hasbeencertifiedasgrade2Agreenfoodandorganicfoodbythenationalgreenfoodcertificationcenter,andhasbeensoldtoallovertheprovince.
ChaganLakehasfourdistinctseasons.ChaganLakewithdifferentseasonshasdifferentcharm.
Inspring,afteralongwinter'ssleep,thelakewakesupquietly.Greengrassandbloomingflowersarereflectedonthesurfaceofthelake.Ducksandgeeseareflyingbythelake,birdsaresingingandswansaredressingup.Thelakeisvast,withfishingsailsandfishtailing.
Insummer,thesurfaceofBaililakeisfullofbluewaves,andthelotusinthepondisfragrant.Thefishingsongsaregraceful,andthesoundofoarsisbabbling,whichaddstotheshadowofFlowingCloudsandcranes.Thereedsswayinginthebreeze,thebranchesandleavessinginganddancing,andtheplayfulfishleapingoutofthewaterfromtimetotime,peepingatthebeautifulsceneryofgreenwillowsandredflowers.In2016,thefirstChaganLakeLotusFestivalwaswellreceived.TheperformanceismainlycomposedofMatouqin,ChaganLakecustomsandlotussongsanddances,whichfullyreflectstheculturalcharacteristicsandethniccustomsofChaganLake.ItisabrandnewboutiquetourismfestivalactivitythatChaganLakeiscommittedtocreating.
Inautumn,thevastChaganLakeiscool,thewindislight,thewildislong,thereedflowersareflyingintheface,andthewildgeeseareflyingbacktothesouth.Theautumnsuncoatseverythingonthelakesidewithgold,makingitmoregracefulandmagnificent.ThebeautifulChaganLakeaddsabitofgrandeurandmagnificencetothesceneryofnorthernChina.
ThemostdistinctivefeatureisthewinterofChaganLake.ThesilvercoveredChaganLakeislikeahugeJasperinlaidinthesnowynorth.Ontheice,aseriesofwinterploughsshuttlebackandforth.Thehighpitchedlaborsongsdispersethecoldofwinter.Theheavynetpullsoutthedazzlingfreshfish,andoutlinesthespectacularsceneofChaganLakeinwinter.Everydaybeforedawn,thesimpleandhardworkingfishermanofchagannaoer,wearingadogskinhatandasheepskinjacket,drivesahorsetoclimbaplowandtakestheprimitivewinternetfishingtoolstothedepthsoftheGreatLakes.Inthedimnight,hestartshisbusydaybyselectingsites,diggingiceandlayingnets.
Inthemorninglight,thefishundertheiceseemtobestillsleepingsoundly.Thesoundofthecrackoftheice,thesoundofthefishermen'sbugle,thehissingofthehorses,andthecreakingofthewinchhavecomeoneafteranother.Fishermenhavedughundredsoficecavesinatwinklingofaneye.The1000meternethasdivedintotheicelikeadragon,andthenslowlypulledouttheicefromthenetoutlethundredsofmetersaway.Tenthousandfreshfishcameoutandinstantlypiledupontheicetoform"fishmountains".Thespectacularharvestof"tenthousandfreshfishdancingontheice"makestheglacierboiling!TheprimitivewinternetfishingmethodcreatedandpreservedbyfishermeninNaoerofChaganLakeisalivingfossilofhumanprimitivefishingandhuntingculture.In2008,"ChaganLakewinterfishingcustom"waslistedinthenationalintangibleculturalheritagelist.
ChaganLakeisalsoknownasicelakeTengyu.Itisthemostspectacularpartoftheannual"icesnowfishingandhuntingCulturalTourismFestivalofChaganLakeinJilinProvince,China".ItstartsinlateDecember(netopening)andendsinlateJanuaryofthenextyear(netclosing).Theannualoutputoffreshfishcanreach1millionkg.In2006,2008and2017,itsuccessivelycaught104500kg,168000kgand260000kgunderthesinglenetice,creatingthe"largestscale"TheGuinnessBookofworldrecords.
ChaganLakehasalonghistoryofcatchingfishinwinter,anditwasfamousasearlyasLiaoandJinDynasties.
FromemperorShengzongtoEmperorTianzuoinLiaoDynasty,everyyearheledhisministersandconcubinestovisitChaganLakefromthecapital.Theymadeiceonthesurfaceofthelaketofish,andusedthe"headfish"caughtbytheEmperorhimselftoholda"headfishfeast"ontheshore,becausethefishintheearlyspringarethefreshest,fattestandmostfragrant.WhenthespringbreezeblowstogreenGuoerluosigrassland,geese,swansandbirdssingbyChaganLake.Atthistime,theemperorsbegantoflyeaglesandarrowstocatchswansandgeese.Thegeesefromhaidongqing,whichwasreleasedbytheemperorofLiao,wereusedtohold"geesefeast".Themonarchsandministerssang,danced,drankandenjoyedbythelakeuntiltheendofspring.FromthiswecanimaginethemagnificentsceneofChaganLake.
Themysteriousoctagonaldrumstirsuptheolddream.ItnotonlyleavestheeternalstoryofemperorsvisitingChaganLake,butalsoinheritsthemysterious,magicalandsacredcustomsof"winterfishingsacrificeLake"and"headfishfeast"inChaganLake.
Theceremonyof"offeringsacrificestothelakeandwakingupthenet"isthemostmysteriouspartofthewinterfishinginChaganLake.Thewholesacrificialprocessisfullofnationalcharacteristicsandmystery.ItistherepresentativeoffishingandhuntingcultureinnorthernChina.ItmainlyincludesdancingChamadance,recitingBuddhistscriptures,singingsacrificialwordstofishhead,offeringsacrificestoheavenandearth,LakeGod,drinkingZhuangXingwineandotheractivities.Itiscalled"thelastfishingandhuntingtribe"byexpertsandscholarsintheindustry,"aplaceontheearthaspreciousastheQinghaiTibetPlateau"and"auniquelivingiceandsnowfishingandhuntingculturalheritagetothenorthofthe45degreenorthlatitudeline".
InordertoletmoretouristsenjoythemysteriousandspectacularwinterfishinginChaganLake,alarge-scaleicesnowfishingandhuntingCulturalTourismFestivalhasbeenheldinChaganLakesince2002attheendofDecembereveryyear.Accordingtothetraditionalcustom,theceremonyofofferingsacrificestothelakeandwakingupthenetisheldeveryyearbeforewinterfishing.
ChaganLaketouristresortischaracterizedbygreatlakewetland,grasslandscenery,MongoliancustomsandChaganLakeCulture,whichhasbecomeafamousscenicspotinJilinProvince.Thereareseventourismfunctionalareasinthearea,includingthecentralareaoftheresort,thegrasslandsceneryandMongoliancustomstourismarea,thewaterentertainmentandleisurearea,thepicnicandcampingarea,thewetlandeco-tourismarea,theagriculturalsightseeingarea,andthepetroleumindustrysightseeingarea,whichcanbeseen,visited,played,enjoyed,andparticipatedin,withstrongcomprehensiveservicefunctions.
Youcannotonlyenjoymorethan500squarekilometersofsealikeopenwater,greensealikewavesofreeds,gulls,geeseandducksblockingthesky,butalsovisittheTibetanBuddhisttempleMiaoyintemple,thethirdnationalGenghisKhanMemorialHallGenghisKhanZhao,theshootingbaseofholywaterlake,thereconstructedLordGorrosmansion,andtheuniquemuseumoffishingandhuntingcultureNotonlycanyouenjoybamboorafting,waterbicycle,pedalboat,butalsohigh-speedandexcitingspeedboat;youcanenjoythescenerybycamel,horseanddoublebicycle,youcanalsotakethebatterycarandselfdrivingsightseeing;youcannotonlyparticipateinhorseriding,archeryandthrowing,butalsoexperiencethestimulationofliveammunitionattheonlycivilianshootingrangeintheprovince.
Inwinter,youcangoskating,skiingandicefishinginChaganLake.Youcanrideahorseploughordriveontheice.Youcanenjoytheiceskyandthewonderoftheworld-winterfishinginChaganLake.Youcanparticipateinicedrilling,netlaying,netpullingandfishfishing.Youcanexperiencethelifeoffishermenandexperiencethesurpriseandstimulationofmakingtensofthousandsofkilogramsoffishinonenet.InChaganLake,youcanalsoenjoythewholefishfeast,thewholesheepfeastandthefarmhousefeast.Intheevening,aroundthebonfire,youcaneatroastedwholesheepandfriedrice,drinkmilkteaandwine,andenjoyMongoliansongsanddances.Itisabsolutelyajourneyoffolkcustom,scenery,cultureandexperience.