Wuxi photographer Dong Xia had no idea of the scale of response he would receive after posting a picture of fish being dried on the shores of Taihu on Chinese micro blogging site Sina Weibo on Sept 23.

The picture, taken on a clear day, shows fish drying in the foreground, as ancient Chinese junks sail by in the midday sun. It has since been viewed thousands of times drawing admiration and enthusiastic responses from Internet users across the country.

According to Wuxi, the shots were taken at Youtouzhu Scenic Area. He said that the junks were drifting past as local fishermen were laying their catches out on the shoreline to dry in the sun, while others untangled their nets.

"What a beautiful sight!" said Weibo user CAPT_Jin.

Another user, Chunguihexu, commented, "So many fish, my mouth is watering."

A worker from the Youtouzhu Scenic Area told a reporter from Wuxi Daily that the fishing boats come from Guangfu town in Suzhou and will be at the scenic area until the National Day holiday comes to an end.

Junks were a common sight on Taihu Lake in the past, but nowadays they are something of a rarity.