It's still dark at 5 am at Chagan Lake in the Qian Gorlos Mongolian prefecture of Songyuan, Jilin province.

Shi Baozhu, 80, the eldest and most experienced local fisherman, has already risen, put on his fur jacket and hat, and headed for the center of the frozen lake with a group of other fishermen on a horse-drawn carriage.

These men are in charge of choosing the location for Chagan Lake's annual winter fish hunt.