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THE CITY'S WATERFOLK
by Venus Chan
FISHERMEN'S WAY OF LIFE
Besides fishing and trading, what does the fishermen’s way of life look like? In Hong Kong, the Tankas are an ethnic group in Hong Kong who traditionally lived on sampan or junks in coastal parts of Hong Kong for decades, also widely known as the boat dwellers.
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According to the information provided by the Hong Kong Museum of History, the ancestors of the boat dwellers might be descendants of the ancient Yue (Canton) people, routinely spent their entire lives on boats and engaged in marine-related trades such as fishing, oyster-farming, pearl-diving and making salted-fish.
Life On Houseboats
In modern times, most of the fishermen no longer live on the houseboats and not preferably spend their whole lifes on the boat as their ancestors. Talking with fishermen we met in fishing villages, most of them are involved in the fishing industry as they were born and raised in a fishermen family.
With the rapid urbanisation and the improved quality of life living in accommodation on land, houseboats are no longer a preferable home to many fishermen. However, fishermen who insist on staying on houseboats are eager to keep the tradition , and they see it as a crucial part of Hong Kong fishing history despite its decline.
