It has not always been easy to protect places like Chagan.

According to Yan Laisuo, a staff member of the Chagan Lake Tourism and Economic Development Zone, the lake nearly dried up in the 1970s after being cut off from its water source. Fishermen were forced to give up their annual tradition and take on odd jobs to survive. But in 1976, the local government rallied the people to build a canal.

After eight years of construction, the canal was able to bring water from the Songhua River to Chagan. Decades later, the lake's total area has expanded to 400 square kilometers. In 2013, Jilin started a river-lake connection project, linking Chagan to surrounding lakes and rivers, making the lake's water even cleaner and clearer.

Other problems have plagued Chagan over the years, including pollution from chemical fertilizer and pesticide runoff from farms. The region is arid and gets little to no rainfall. The development of tourism, which brings millions of people to the area every year, also had an impact.

But these problems have been solved through the implementation of projects that have allowed environmental protection, agriculture and tourism to develop in tandem.