Customs of the Fisher Folk

Throughout the archipelago where fishing is a way of life, fisher folk have their own customs, such as painting glaring “dragon’s eyes’’ on the bows of their boats to frighten away evil. Many fishermen believe it is bad luck to turn a cooked fish over on a plate – symbolic of a wrecked ship. And it’s customary to shape long fish into rings and steam then as a good luck wedding dish, symbolic of unity and harmony.

There are many more customs and beliefs, some have existed for hundreds of years and are still practiced. An example is the launching of fishing boats, a tradition starting from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Though there are modern fishing boats, some wooden craft remain and islanders still build their own. Each boat is launched with an elaborate ceremony involving firecrackers and gong and cymbal bands. The boat’s master must bath and dress properly for the ceremony. He personally blesses the colorful boat and crew by unveiling its “dragon eyes.”

The boat is launched by 18 strong fishermen, who carry the craft into the water. The master stands on the bow, throwing steamed buns outward. Locals believe the further he can throw the buns, the further the boat can sail, and the higher he can toss them the more fish the boat’s nets will catch. Nowadays, of course, boats have engines.

The buns are usually custom-made and super-sized, stamped with the red Chinese character “fu” for luck and fortune.

Local weddings also have age-old traditions. As in other parts of China, islanders select wedding dates by the lunar calendar. If the bridegroom is at sea, a sister represents him in the marriage and takes a rooster – the de facto husband – to the couple’s new home. The bird is kept in a cage and fed excellent food until the bridegroom returns. Then the rooster is kept until it dies naturally.

After the marriage ceremony, friends of the newlyweds accompany them to their new home and tease them. For Zhoushan islanders, singing is important and the couple is supposed to react to their friends’ lyrics. When a friend sings of fish, the couple together should eat a small fish so that their lips touch and they finally kiss.

Fishermen also enjoy colorful sports, including boat races, net weaving competitions, beach relay races and water polo matches. Some fishermen even play chess in the water on plastic chessboards. They walk into the sea until the water reaches their waist and play from a plastic chessboard floating on the water.

However, the most attractive and intriguing sport is a local boxing art, which had virtually disappeared for a long period and was restaged during the China International Martial Arts Competition in 1993.

So-called “boat boxing” makes full use of fists and legs and emphasizes balance between offense and defense. It requires more balance than other boxing skills, as it was originally supposed to be practiced in heavy seas.

“Boat boxing” is said to have played an important role in islanders’ defense against pirates and Japanese invaders during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Other old customs and traditions disappeared during the 20th century or are fading away, many because of improvements in fishermen’s lives.

In the past when fishermen perished at sea in storms, their bodies were seldom recovered. Therefore, at funerals their families placed straw figures dressed in the deceased’s clothing in coffins to represent the dead. Taoist rites evoked the souls of the dead.

Improvements in ships and fishing facilities have sharply reduced wrecks and casualties at sea since 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was established. Now fishermen’s safety at sea is ensured by modern navigation technologies, radar and GPS systems.

In the past life was very hard and the archipelago was isolated from the mainland. Rice was precious to the fishermen as it did not grow on the islands. They ate dried sweet potatoes as a staple food and rice was only cooked for guests. If they invited a guest to a meal, they would prepare a small packet of rice and cook it together with their own dried potatoes. The rice was strictly for the guest.

This tradition, of course, is long in the past. Fishermen now enjoy abundant food, both locally planted and from the mainland.

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