Chinese Fishermens

"Chinese Fishermens" is one of the artworks on the theme "On the Shores of the South Sea. Ten years ago I traveled with my friend Chen Gang around southern China to remote fishing villages almost near the border with Viet Nam. I collected a lot of first-class material for paintings and painted a lot of sketches during that trip. We had a house we rented from fishermen and we spent a many days on the shore taking pictures, sketching and painting. In Chinese culture fish is a symbol of wealth and prosperity, and a holiday table would not be festive without fish dishes on it and the word "fish" or "yui" means abundance. Fishing in China is thousands of years of tradition and experience, that’s why everything related to this topic is widely reflected in Chinese culture and art. Nowadays it is a family business, something like an artel of several families. Part of the artel, mostly men, ship out on large wooden junks and the rest of the family works on the shore fixing nets and selling goods.

We used to get up early in the morning and try to watch the sunrise on the shore. The tides came out at night and came in at dawn. Before the tide the locals gathered all sorts of exotic food that lived in the coastal silt and was considered a delicacy in restaurants. Hundreds of figures in conical hats stood out in silhouette against the background of the dawning sea. Nowadays a headdress called the "Dawley" (a conical hat) is popular in the southern and eastern regions of China and certainly among Chinese fishermen, the name means - hat for ten liters and is made from dried palm leaves. The thing is, this hat is very practical and provides a perfect sun protection for not only the head but even the back and shoulders. And in general people who work long hours in the sun try to protect themselves from ultraviolet light using long sleeves or armbands. Sleeves are often sewn from the remnants of old clothes and very bright scraps, which, when combined with conical hats, give an exotic and vivid theatricality to the simple fisherman's look.

The fishermen returned in junks with the tide and the unloading of the holds began, which could last until noon. Nets with fish were brought ashore and then these huge bales were carried into the shade of the trees using long bamboo poles where the whole big family was engaged in sorting the catch. I was immediately drawn to this spectacular moment in their work, when a large group of fishermen were united in a single action. Their dynamic silhouettes stood out against the background of the sparkling midday sun as they carried their heavy but valuable cargo which they worked so hard to get far out on the open sea. What individuals you could meet among them, real sea wolves with their faces carved by the salty sea wind, and their skin was like dried and crumpled parchment. Yes, I understood life in these fishing villages was tough and these people worked hard and aged quickly, but despite the difficult life, they were friendly, sociable and very responsive.

I was lucky enough to visit these places and see a different China, the one that no longer exists among skyscrapers and business centers. People here are closer to nature and less influenced by global change and civilization. As I made my way down to the shore in the early morning, I could hear the morning breeze rustling through the bamboo thicket, see a lot of people engaged in their work on the shore, and the silhouettes of many fishing junks on the horizon, returning with their catch, and it was clear that nothing much had really changed in these places over hundreds of years.