BEIJING: For Wang Shumao, a fisherman in the tropical island province of Hainan, the South China Sea is more than just a fishery—it is an ancestral ocean that has nurtured his village since ancient times. “It brings us food and joy. I love everything about it,” the 66-year-old said.
Wang was born and raised in Tanmen Village, a fishing port in Qionghai City on the island’s eastern coast.
Wang first went fishing with his father in the South China Sea when he was 18. “I felt afraid when the 30-ton wooden boat was tossed by the violent waves of the vast ocean,” he recalled. “And the sleeping berth was small. It was a tough trip.”
In the years that followed, he became used to the fishing life and soon mastered the skills of piloting the boat, fishing and diving. The more time he spent on water, the more he has learned about the ocean. He knows which reefs in the South China Sea are havens for boats and can figure out whether there is an undercurrent by scattering a handful of ashes onto the water.
Wang spent eight months of each year on the sea, not only fishing, but also coming to the aid of his fellow fisherfolk. Whenever a boat breaks down or loses its way, Wang volunteers to go to its rescue.
One night at midnight, Wang was wakened by a sharp knock at the door when he was asleep at home. A fellow villager informed him that a fishing boat with five villagers on board was out of contact, with the lives of its crew in possible danger.
–The Daily Mail-Beijing review news exchange item
