Recently, Zhongbao Town has carried out a project for fishermen to go ashore and clean up and renovate the home-based fishing boats. Let's follow our reporter to Xinghua to see the new life of fishermen ashore.
Zhongbao Town, Xinghua City, is adjacent to Wugong Lake in the south and Dazong Lake in the north. 50% of the town is covered by water, making it a famous lakeside town in the far and near. In the past, many fishermen made boats their homes. In order to restore the original ecology of rivers and lakes, and also enable fishermen to live and work in peace and contentment, Zhongbao Town carried out this project.
The Wugong Lake in Xinghua recently ushered in winter fishing. As the fishermen kept pulling the fishing net, the water was splashed with waves, and the fish were springing out of the water. Everyone's face was filled with joy of harvest.
"Our fishing team got up at 5:30 this morning to collect the net. This fish is more than 20 kilograms. Although the work is a little tiring, everyone feels very happy, because it is a year of harvest," said Pan Fuming, a fisherman of Fishery Village, Zhongbao Town, Xinghua.
Pan Fuming is a villager in the aquatic village of Zhongbao Town, Xinghua. Living on water since his childhood, he is now a member of the local fishing team.
Pan Fuming said that his family has made a living by fishing for generations and this craft has been passed down. Although busy all year round, the life is getting more and more prosperous
Pan Fuming is very familiar with the water in front of him. This is the place where he has lived for 46 years. In the aquatic village, most fishermen, like Pan Fuming, live on the water for generations. A fishing boat is all they have.
"When we were young, we cooked in this pot. This is the bucket. We scooped up the water in the river and put it into the bucket to settle. This is the domestic water. We took a bath in this wooden bath. The life of the fishermen on the ship is so hard," Pan Fuming said.
In the fishermen's going ashore project, Pan Fuming, like many other fishermen, bought a new house in the settlement community in the town by paying with the government’s subsidies and their own savings.
The local government carried out vocational skills training and recommended former fishermen to work in communities or factories, while Pan Fuming joined the fishing team.
"I don't have to live the life of floating on the water anymore. With a secure life, my life is more and more stable," Pan Fuming said.
In the past two years, with the continuous promotion of the local government, more and more fishermen have volunteered to go ashore to say goodbye to the past aquatic life.
The 67-year-old Zhang Jinmei and his wife Chen Zhaoying went ashore to celebrate the Chinese New Year for the first time in their life. The village authority has hired them as river cleaners. With a fixed income, the days were more comfortable.
"I never dreamed that I could live in a storied house. Now everything is convenient. It's also convenient to go shopping," Chen Zhaoying said.
During the Spring Festival, the government of Zhongbao Town prepared colorful cultural activities for these former fishermen, which made this Spring Festival particularly festive.
