‘Gypsies of the sea’ move to living on land swimmingly in Fujian

JIANG Chengcai had never lived in a house until he was 32, when his family gave up living on boat and settled in Ningde City in Fujian Province.

Jiang is one of the Tanka people, or boat dwellers. Their origins can be traced back to the ancient aborigines of southern China.

Tanka people traditionally lived on sampans and made a living by fishing in coastal waters in southern China. Historically, the “gypsies of the sea” were not allowed to go ashore or marry people living along the beach.

Though all discriminatory policies against Tanka people have been eliminated since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, few boat people could ever afford to build a house on land until a government program helped all boat people settle down between 1997 and 2013.

Jiang’s craving for houses has led to his current profession — building homes for land dwellers.

Born in 1967, he is the eldest child in the family. He lived with his three siblings, their parents and their great parents in a 6-meter boat.

Jiang said it was common for three generations to live on the same boat. Everything from weddings to funeral ceremonies are held on the boats.

Typhoons were nightmares. Jiang still remembers when their wooden boat was smashed into pieces by huge waves due to a strong gale. Hungry and cold, the four children huddled together on a mudflat, with nothing to eat or wear.

When he got married at 20, his parents gave the newlyweds a small sampan to start their own family, in line with Tanka custom.

Modern facilities are impossible in floating homes on the sea. For many nights, Jiang stared at the glimmering lights from houses in the distance, dreaming of living in a house with electricity. His dream came true in 1999.

Since the water tribe has no land, the local government reclaimed mudflats for their relocation. Each boat dweller moving ashore received 650 yuan (US$100), which rose to 3,000 yuan by 2013.

There were 18,500 Tanka boat dwellers in Fujian in 1997, and by 2013, all of them had been relocated to houses on the shore. They were arranged in 29 settlements, which gradually evolved into villages.

The settlements also have electricity, running water, road, telecom and cable TV networks.

Jiang said that after getting subsidies, he only paid 15,000 yuan to own his house of 200 square meters, almost as much as building a new boat.

He remembered that the day when his family moved in the house was the happiest in his life. “We had electric light for the first time in our lives. It was like heaven to us,” said Jiang.

Xipi Village is one of the largest Tanka communities onshore, with 632 households and a population of 2,716.