Locals go winter fishing at Chagan Lake in Songyuan city of Jilin province during previous festival.[Photo provided to chinadaily.con.cn]

The 19th Chagan Lake Fishing and Hunting Cultural Tourism Festival is set to kick off on Dec 28 on the frozen Chagan Lake in Songyuan city -- located in Northeast China's Jilin province -- and will run for two months.

This year's activities highlight ice and snow, as well as environmental and cultural elements. Two themed series of activities will be held, with a total of 19 series of events running until Feb 28.

During the festival, activities and events -- including a Songyuan investment promotion conference, a fair for special purchases for the Spring Festival and the Chagan Lake ice snow marathon race -- will be staged for tourists.

In early November, preparations for the festival have started and many facilities are now ready for tourists coming from afar.

Chagan Lake -- the country's seventh-largest lake and the largest freshwater body in northeastern China -- is home to 68 varieties of fish.

Traditional skills required for Chagan Lake winter fishing are now listed on the list of China's intangible cultural heritages. Since 2002, the cultural tourism festival has been staged 18 times.