Chagan Lake Tourist Resort is located in Qianguoerluosi Mongolian Autonomous County, Songyuan City, Jilin Province. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction, situated in the plain area at the confluence of the Songhua River and Nenjiang River. It is one of the top ten freshwater lakes in China and the largest inland lake in Jilin Province. The total area of the scenic resort is 500 square kilometers, with the lake surface area being 307 square kilometers, an average water depth of 2.5 meters, and a maximum depth of 6 meters. Chagan Lake features "winter fishing wonders, grassland customs, and Mongolian culture", integrating natural ecology and ethnic culture. It is a comprehensive tourist resort that combines ecological sightseeing, folk experience, and leisure vacation. Facilities such as a visitor center, folk culture park, and wharf have been built in the area, with a total construction area of approximately 12,000 square meters. The annual number of visitors exceeds one million, among which the winter season (December-February) attracts a large number of tourists due to the "ice lake winter fishing" activity, with monthly visits reaching 300,000.
Historical Culture
Human activities in the Chagan Lake area can be traced back to the Neolithic Age. Stone arrowheads, pottery, and other cultural relics unearthed in the scenic area prove that ancestors lived and thrived here thousands of years ago.
As a "royal fishing and hunting ground" during the Liao and Jin dynasties, Chagan Lake has a long history of fishing and hunting culture. Emperors of the Liao Dynasty held the "spring naobo" ceremony (spring fishing and hunting activities) here to pray for national peace and people's safety. This tradition continued through the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Fishing tools, ceramics, and other cultural relics unearthed from existing Liao and Jin period sites (such as Tahucheng Site, with a circumference of 5181 meters) confirm the prosperity of fishing and hunting activities at that time.
Chagan Lake is also a Mongolian settlement, preserving intact traditional Mongolian culture. "Chagan" means "white and holy" in Mongolian. The "Lake Worship and Net Awakening" ceremony held every winter is a living fossil of Mongolian fishing and hunting culture, including rituals such as scripture chanting, presenting hada, and offering libations. It has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. In addition, Mongolian activities such as the Nadam Fair and matouqin art have been inherited and developed here, forming a unique ethnic cultural landscape.
Main Attractions
Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Scenic Area
Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Scenic Area is the core of the resort, famous at home and abroad for the wonder of ice fishing in winter. From December to February each year, fishermen use the traditional "large under-ice dragnet" method to catch fish, with a single net capable of catching over 100,000 jin of fresh fish. The scenic area has winter fishing viewing areas and ice entertainment areas, where tourists can watch the entire process of winter fishing up close and experience activities such as ice fishing and snowmobiling. During the Winter Fishing Festival (opening on December 28 each year), events such as the "Lake Worship and Net Awakening" ceremony and the first fish auction are held. The auction price of the "first fish" has repeatedly hit new highs; in 2023, a 30-jin first fish was auctioned for 2.99 million yuan.
Miaoyin Temple
Miaoyin Temple is located on the east bank of Chagan Lake and is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist temples in Jilin Province. It was first built in 1755 (the 20th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty) and rebuilt in 2000, covering an area of 30,000 square meters with a construction area of 1,800 square meters. The temple adopts a Sino-Tibetan architectural style, with main buildings including the Mahavira Hall, Heavenly King Hall, and Scripture Repository, housing statues of Sakyamuni, Guanyin, etc. Facilities such as "prayer wheels" and "mani piles" in the temple reflect Tibetan Buddhist characteristics. A temple fair is held on the 19th day of the sixth lunar month every year, attracting many believers and tourists to pray for blessings.
Genghis Khan Memorial Hall
Genghis Khan Memorial Hall is located on the south bank of Chagan Lake, an important place to commemorate Genghis Khan. It covers an area of 130,000 square meters with a construction area of 2,225 square meters and was completed in 2004. The hall consists of a mountain gate, a Genghis Khan statue, and a memorial hall. The Genghis Khan statue is 2.5 meters high and cast in bronze; the memorial hall exhibits Genghis Khan's life stories, weapons, documents, etc., showing the history and culture of the Mongol Empire. The architecture of the hall integrates Mongolian, Han, and Tibetan artistic styles, serving as an important window to understand Genghis Khan's culture.
Guoerluosi Royal Mansion
Guoerluosi Royal Mansion is located in the northwest of the scenic area, a reconstructed residence of the Jasaq (prince) of the former Guoerluosi Banner in the Qing Dynasty. It covers an area of 40,000 square meters with a construction area of 5,213 square meters, reproducing the architectural pattern of a Mongolian royal mansion in the Qing Dynasty. The mansion is divided into living areas, meeting areas, and sacrificial areas, exhibiting over 300 cultural relics such as Mongolian costumes, furniture, and weapons, among which "gold-inlaid saddles" and "silver wine sets" are the treasures of the mansion. Tourists can learn about the living scenes and etiquette culture of the Mongolian nobility in the Qing Dynasty through real-scene restoration and interactive experiences.
Chagan Lake Wetland Bird Watching Park
Chagan Lake Wetland Bird Watching Park is located on the west bank of the lake, covering an area of 10 square kilometers, and is an important migratory bird habitat in Northeast Asia. The park has ecological environments such as reed swamps and shoals. Every spring and autumn, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds stop here, including over 10 species of national first-class protected birds such as white cranes, red-crowned cranes, and oriental storks. The scenic area has built a 5-kilometer-long wooden plank road and 8 bird watching platforms (the highest at 145 meters above sea level), equipped with high-power telescopes to facilitate tourists in watching bird activities, making it an ideal place for ecological photography and nature education.
Cuisine
Chagan Lake Whole Fish Feast
Chagan Lake Whole Fish Feast is a signature cuisine of the scenic area. It uses wild bighead carp, carp, crucian carp, etc. from the lake, and adopts various cooking methods such as stewing, boiling, frying, and roasting. A feast can present 10-15 fish dishes. Among them, "kua stewed bighead carp" is the most distinctive. It uses bighead carp weighing over 10 jin, stewed slowly in an iron pot with tofu and vermicelli. The meat is tender and the soup is delicious. A stew suitable for 6-8 people costs about 300 yuan. It can be tasted at the "Whole Fish Feast Hotel" in the scenic area and farmhouses by the lake. In summer, it can be paired with freshly picked water celery, cattail shoots, and other wild vegetables.
Hand-Held Meat
Hand-held meat is a traditional Mongolian dish. It uses locally raised mutton, boiled in clear water and eaten with salt, retaining the original flavor of the mutton. At the "Yurt Restaurant" in the scenic area, a 2-jin serving of hand-held meat costs about 120 yuan, and it tastes better when paired with milk tea and milk tofu. Usually, Mongolian chefs cut it on site, and tourists can experience eating by cutting the meat with a knife, feeling the dietary culture of nomadic peoples.
Roast Lamb Leg
Roast lamb leg uses bone-in lamb hind legs, marinated with secret seasonings, and slowly roasted with fruit charcoal for 1.5 hours. The outer skin is crispy and the meat is juicy. The "Grassland Roast Bar" around the scenic area is a popular choice to taste this dish. A 3-jin roast lamb leg costs about 200 yuan, suitable for 3-4 people to share. Paired with beer or mare's milk wine, it is the first choice for summer barbecues. Tourists can turn it themselves during roasting to experience DIY fun.
Milk Tofu
Milk tofu is a traditional Mongolian dairy product, made by fermenting milk and then boiling and solidifying it. It has a sour and mellow taste and can be eaten directly or fried and roasted with honey. At the "Dairy Workshop" in the Guoerluosi Royal Mansion scenic area, a 200-gram piece of milk tofu costs about 15 yuan. Tourists can visit the production process and experience making it by themselves, making it a special gift for relatives and friends. In addition, milk skin, butter, and other dairy products are also worth trying, with an average consumption of about 30 yuan to taste various types.
Tickets
Admission is free. Some attractions in the scenic area require separate charges.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "查干湖景区" to get the latest updates or buy tickets online. As of July 7, 2025, the online ticket purchasing function of this official WeChat public account is not working properly.
Opening Hours
The scenic area is open all year round, with slightly adjusted opening hours for each season: peak season (April-October) is 8:00-18:00 (admission stops at 17:30); off-season (November-March of the next year) is 9:00-17:00 (admission stops at 16:30).
Among them, Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Scenic Area is only open from December to February, with daily opening hours of 8:30-16:30; Miaoyin Temple, Genghis Khan Memorial Hall, and Guoerluosi Royal Mansion have the same opening hours as the scenic area; the Wetland Bird Watching Park has the best viewing period from April to May and September to October, with opening hours of 8:00-17:30, and some areas are closed in other months.
Tour Route
Recommended two-day tour route: Day 1: Arrive at the scenic area's visitor center at 9:00 am, buy a combined ticket and go to Guoerluosi Royal Mansion (1.5 hours) to learn about Mongolian prince culture; go to Genghis Khan Memorial Hall at 11:00 am (1 hour) to visit the memorial hall and statues; have lunch at the Yurt Restaurant at 12:30 pm and taste hand-held meat. Go to Miaoyin Temple at 2:30 pm (1 hour) to experience Tibetan Buddhist culture; go to Chagan Lake Wetland Bird Watching Park at 4:00 pm (1.5 hours) to watch birds along the plank road; watch the sunset by the lake at 6:00 pm, then check in to the yurt homestay in the scenic area. Day 2: If it's winter (December-February), go to the winter fishing scenic area at 6:30 am to watch the "Lake Worship and Net Awakening" ceremony (starting at 7:00 am) and the winter fishing process (about 2 hours); experience ice fishing or snowmobiling at 10:00 am; taste the whole fish feast at 12:00 pm. In other seasons, take a boat tour of Chagan Lake at 9:00 am (1 hour, boat ticket 50 yuan/person); participate in folk experience activities by the lake (such as archery, horse riding) at 11:00 am; return at 2:00 pm, and buy specialties such as dried fish and dairy products on the way.
Transportation
- Bus: Take Tourist Line 1 in Songyuan City to directly reach Chagan Lake Scenic Area, with a fare of 15 yuan. It departs at 7:00, 8:30, and 10:00 every day, with a journey of 1.5 hours; take Bus No. 2 in Qianguoerluosi Mongolian Autonomous County to the scenic area entrance, with a fare of 5 yuan, once an hour.
- Self-driving: Starting from Songyuan City, drive north along Chagan Lake Avenue (S203) for about 30 kilometers to reach the scenic area, with a journey of 40 minutes; the parking fee standard at the scenic area parking lot is 20 yuan/day for small cars and 50 yuan/day for large cars, and the parking fee increases by 50% in winter (December-February).
- Long-distance bus: Songyuan Bus Station has a bus to Chagan Lake every 30 minutes, with a fare of 10 yuan and a journey of 50 minutes; Changchun Bus Station also has direct buses to the scenic area, once every 2 hours from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm every day, with a fare of 50 yuan and a journey of 3 hours.
- Train: Take Train K7305 from Changchun Station to Songyuan Station, with a journey of 2.5 hours and a fare of 32.5 yuan; take a taxi from Songyuan Station to the scenic area, about 30 kilometers, costing 60 yuan, or transfer to Tourist Line 1.
Must-Visit Attractions
- Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Scenic Area: A wonder of under-ice fishing in winter, the "Lake Worship and Net Awakening" ceremony is a national intangible cultural heritage. It is recommended to visit for 3 hours (only December-February).
- Guoerluosi Royal Mansion: A complex of Qing Dynasty Mongolian royal mansions, with over 300 cultural relics. It is recommended to visit for 1.5 hours.
- Chagan Lake Wetland Bird Watching Park: A 5-kilometer bird watching plank road, with over 10 species of national first-class protected birds. It is recommended to visit for 1.5 hours (best in spring and autumn).
- Genghis Khan Memorial Hall: A landmark building commemorating Genghis Khan, integrating multi-ethnic artistic styles. It is recommended to visit for 1 hour.
Tour Suggestions
- The best visiting seasons are winter (December-February, to watch winter fishing) and summer (June-August, to enjoy the lake scenery). In winter, the temperature is as low as -20℃ to -30℃, so you need to wear down jackets, snow boots, and other warm equipment; in summer, the temperature is high, so pay attention to sun protection and carry mosquito repellent.
- It is recommended to book accommodation 1 day in advance for watching winter fishing in winter. Choosing homestays in the scenic area allows for a close experience, with prices around 300-500 yuan/night (yurts); camping is available in summer, and the scenic area provides tent rentals at 100 yuan/top/day.
- Photography enthusiasts are advised to bring telephoto lenses (for shooting winter fishing in winter and birds in spring and autumn). In winter, pay attention to keeping the camera warm to avoid excessive battery consumption.
- To participate in the "Lake Worship and Net Awakening" ceremony, you need to get up early. It is recommended to arrive at the scene before 6:00 am to get the best viewing position; the first fish auction is usually held at 10:00 am.
- It is recommended to buy fish specialties at the "Aquatic Products Direct Sales Store" in the scenic area, where prices are transparent and on-site vacuum packaging is available. A 10-jin package of bighead carp costs about 150 yuan.
Matters Needing Attention
- Winter ice activities are risky. You must stay in designated areas, follow the instructions of staff, and are prohibited from entering undeveloped ice areas without permission. The scenic area has safety warning signs.
- Respect Mongolian customs: take off your shoes when entering a yurt, accept hada with both hands, and do not step on the threshold with your feet; when watching the Nadam Fair, do not touch the equipment of horse racing and wrestling athletes at will.
- Loud noise is prohibited in Miaoyin Temple, flash photography is not allowed when taking photos, and you must walk around the prayer wheels clockwise.
- Littering is prohibited in the scenic area, especially in the lakeside area. Violators will be fined 50-200 yuan; fishing must be in designated areas, and a fishing license is required (50 yuan/day).
- During peak seasons (the Spring Festival holiday and the Winter Fishing Festival), there are large crowds of tourists. It is recommended to travel during off-peak hours. Traffic within the scenic area may be congested, so you can choose to walk or take the scenic area sightseeing bus (20 yuan per person, unlimited rides).