This study qualitatively explores how heritage elements are represented in the multimodal discourse of China’s Chagan Lake winter fishing culture, a case of intangible ice and snow folk heritage. Drawing on visual grammar theory as the analytical framework, the research focuses on how textual, visual and auditory modes jointly construct cultural meaning in the original Chinese materials ^[1]. The study employs both thematic analysis and semiotic analysis: the former identifies recurring cultural themes across source texts, while the latter investigates how visual, auditory and linguistic signs encode and transmit cultural meanings. Data include authentic Chinese videos and English videos. Through close reading and comparative examination, the study reveals how cultural meanings of Chagan Lake’s winter fishing heritage elements are constructed across textual, visual, and auditory modes. The findings underscore the challenges of recognizing intangible heritage and highlight the greater cultural sensitivity. This research contributes to heritage communication studies by offering qualitative insights into the complex cultural meanings in multimodal texts.