Shirley Xiao, Shenzhen College of International Education

My last day with the Tanka people started well before dawn. These are a group of Chinese fishermen who have spent their whole lives on water.

Sitting along the riverbank, I witnessed their morning routine — fishing, cooking, and heading off to the market to sell their harvest. As the clouds lit up in the east sky, reflecting their pinkish glow on the whispering waves, I realized that this place was indeed their home.

Sheng was the first Tanka person I interviewed for my documentary. The 30-something was not a traditional Tanka person; he spent his whole life on land. Like many other Chinese at his age, he had a job, a family and an apartment.

Given that the Tanka people had been discriminated against for decades, Sheng’s deviation from Tanka traditions may be seen as lucky, yet childhood shadows still haunt him. Back in his grade school days, his peers mocked Sheng. “They made fun of me for being a Tanka kid, so I had been really uncomfortable with this identity,” Sheng said. The new generation represented by Sheng was drifting away from their ancestral traditions.

Yet Sheng is still tied to his undeniable Tanka origin through his parents, who had spent a lifetime on water. Even as they were compelled to move onto land due to bad health, the Liangs would still go out fishing early in the day and return from the market well after dark, continuing their fishermen’s life. Now living in their solidly-built house under the highways, the Liangs always feel a tension between the need to change and their inability to adapt. Without the skills to secure a regular job, they still “need a boat to make a living,” as per Uncle Liang.

Then, I was shocked to hear the story of Quan and Ming, a pair of blind Tanka twin brothers. Getting to know them was mind-blowing.

I staggered slightly as I climbed onto their boat, wondering how they were able to swim across the rivers, catch clams, and living as fishermen without the ability to see. Both in their 30s, they had tried living on land, but it didn’t work. They found it hard to navigate the city with its heavy traffic. On water, their boat — both home and vehicle — could lead them anywhere.

Their disability certainly further hindered them from adapting to a new life. Without proper education, the blind brothers have been given little choice but stick to the traditional fishing lifestyle.

These personal stories highlighted to me the complexity of the predicaments facing Tanka people.

Challenging my assumption of a carefree life on the water, my documentary project has revealed the real challenges and pressures faced by the Tanka people in an evolving world. Whether the Tankas choose to rebel against or stick to their traditions, their stories deserve to be told.