"Wusuli River Boat Song," a well-known tune throughout China, immortalizes Hezhe fishermen on the Wusuli, the largest tributary of the Heilongjiang River. According to China's Fifth National Census statistics released in 2001, the Hezhe ethnic group is one of the smallest minorities in China, with only 4,600 people. The Hezhe, however, are well-known for their superb talent in fishing.

Hezhe is the only ethnic group to subsist on fishing in North China, where they inhabit the riverside of the Heilongjiang and Wusuli, which are frozen over seven months out of the year. When the rivers are covered with ice, Hezhe fishermen leave their homes and ride dogsleds to the ice surface, where they erect tents and set up camp. Entire families – men and women, old and young – come together to practice winter ice fishing.

Traditionally, the Hezhe's winter fishing is distinguished from the other three seasons by two approaches. The fishermen cut a hole in the ice and then either drop a baited hook into the water, or leave a fishing net immersed for a half hour. When they are thrown on the icy surface, the fish immediately freeze in the extremely cold air, convenient for being packaged and transported to different places.

Regardless of preferred method, fishermen tend to carry a harpoon at all times, which requires deft skill to operate. The harpoon must hit a fish precisely in the head, or its skin is useless for making the fishskin clothes, for which these people are famed. Fishskin clothes are exhibited at local museums, and still made by local artisans for sale to tourists.

It should be no surprise that fish are treasured by the Hezhe people. The Hezhe have a tradition of eating raw fish, from skin to roe, meat, and bones. When a guest visits, the fishermen will cut a slice of meat from the still-living fish and use a knife to offer it to the guest. When the guest bites the slice off the knife, he proves himself a genuine friend and receives great hospitality.

After the introduction of modern fishing tools, the Hezhe's fishing productivity increased substantially, and their living conditions also improved. However, wild aquatic resources are diminishing, and now the Hezhe's traditional lifestyles are nearing the edge of extinction. In the past, it was common to catch hundreds of kilograms of wild sturgeon at once, but today even a harvest of dozens of kilograms is rare. How much longer will the "Wusuli Boat Song" be sung? The question burdens the minds of all the Hezhe fishermen.