Thousands make big catch at Chinese fishing festival

Video. Thousands make big catch at Chinese fishing festival

Locals held a fishing carnival in Menglian County of southwest China’s Yunnan Province to celebrate the traditional Dai New Year on Wednesday.

Locals held a fishing carnival in Menglian County of southwest China’s Yunnan Province to celebrate the traditional Dai New Year on Wednesday.

Thousands of fishermen armed with simple nets and baskets leaped into the Nanlei river, wading into waist-deep water to make a catch as fast as they could.

In just a matter of minutes, some of the fishermen had already caught five to six fish, including catfish and bighead carp weighing more than 10kg.

The carnival, which is now in its thirteenth year, has become a unique activity during the traditional New Year celebrated by the Dai ethnic minority inhabiting the region.

It is also called the Water-Splashing Festival and usually falls in mid-April.