Fishing Village Lures Tourists with Face-lift

Stepping on creaking floor boards, visitors see an old decorated clay oven, ornately carved king-sized bed and an old-fashioned hardwood ba xian zhuo, a square table for eight people.

The sitting room was used for dining, receiving guests; women wove and repaired fishing nets and made fish bamboo baskets for their husbands. The hand skills have been retained.

In the kitchen, the old clay oven, built into a wall, is decorated with pictures of fish, crabs, fishing boats and fishermen, in contrast to the farmyard scenes painted on farmers' ovens.

In the old days when life was poor, villagers made tang lao fan, which was porridge-like rice. They cooked rice with a large amount of water to make porridge. Then they scooped out the porridge-like rice and stewed it for another half an hour, until the thin porridge swelled again to thick rice. That helped them conserve rice, but also filled their bellies.

There's an old well in the courtyard and the water is a bit salty, so fishermen seldom used salt in cooking.

A few steps away is an exhibition hall showcasing an array of old-time fishing gear, including various knives, fish rods, nets and an old loom, as well as boat equipment.

Before the tide rises, fishermen set up a long net to capture small fish and shrimp. As the animals change their behavior, fishermen must change the location of the nets each time. The method is still in use today.

In the exhibition hall, a model sampan, on a scale of 1:10, was made by 65-year-old Jiang Pinyun, who began to make boats when he was a teenager. This model is a perfect miniature reproduction, containing all fishing equipment, as well as oars and a compass. A real sampan could have a crew of 13 fishermen.

An old fish boat, assembled from parts of disused boards, is also displayed. The hall also exhibits a boat-making blueprint and old container that once stored tung oil, which was combined with lime to stop leaks and seal cracks between boat timbers.

How to get there: Take Metro Line 1 to Jinjiang Amusement Park Station, walk about one minute to the Southwest Bus Station and take Shimei Line to the Shihua Station, then transfer to Shanyang No. 2 Line toward Jinshanzui.