The Old Men and the Sea

by+Li+Qizheng

Nanyu Island is located in Dongshan County of Zhangzhou City， Fujian Province， in southern China. Its fine-sand beaches stretch some four miles； and its waters are striped thanks to varying depths. Walking the shore during the day， visitors often gasp at a stunning horizon in the distance. When night falls， the lights are few； and the only thing breaking the silence is the crash of waves.

The island is home to a group of veteran fishermen between the ages of 45 and 82. Their common wisdom is that the best season for fishing is February to October.“Lashan” （“Pulling the Mountain”） is an ancient method of fishing， which has been handed down for generations in coastal Fujian. People pull large nets using their own strength， without the help of mechanical tools. All boats are rowed by hand.

Such a method of fishing depends heavily on the tide and time of day， with the prime usually coming between twilight and 11：00 p.m. A boat transports a 500-meter-long rope and nets to the sea. The team is divided into two groups， each with seven or eight members. Both groups pull one net cord and move parallel to each other. Each member wraps his waist with a rope made of cloth or nylon topped with a square bamboo chip to hold the net cord.

They stand three to five steps apart. Scattering like branches， they take turns leading the pulling from back to the front. The net gets heavier after being cast into the sea， and fishermen struggle against the tide with a load of fish， a factor making it harder and harder for the seniors to fish.

Passion

At 68， Chen Huaiming leads the fishing team. He certainly earned the title of “boss”when he bought boats and fishing nets for less than 10，000 yuan more than 20 years ago. Chen assigns work and delegates， and has been praised for his fair leadership.

Chens operation consists of 20 members： Two vendors， one logistics worker， five rowers， and the rest net operators.

Everyones income depends on what sells. Most of the time， each member receives several or dozens of yuan daily. Lucky days can bring as much as 100 yuan.

“Its not a lot， so why keep doing it？”is a frequently-asked question. “Were old buddies and were used to it，” Chen ex- plains. “Its not the only way we can put food on the table. As for money， we just spend less when we dont make much. The good thing is that we dont have to pay for overhead like an engine or gasoline. It just takes our effort and sweat.”