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China on the move: Hezhe Ethnic Group adapt to new way of life

2009-09-04 13:34 BJT

Special Report: 60th Anniversary of PRC |

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Let's continue with our daily segment called China on the move, a 50 episode tribute to New China's 60th birthday. Today we look at how one ethnic group in northeast China are adapting to changing times.

The Hezhe people who live on the Sanjiang Plain have always relied on fishing as a way of life. But dwindling stocks have now forced them to seek other alternatives to sustain a living. Liu Ying tells us how the Hezhe people are adapting.

It's almost eight o'clock in the morning, and Wu Wenrong and his wife are returning from their fishing trip. The couple came back with nothing. But it seems they are used to it. The area suffers from low water levels and shrinking fishing stocks.

Wu Wenrong, Hezhe fisherman, said, "Before, the fishing tackle we used was not as advanced as what we have nowadays. But unfortunately, fishing stocks nowadays are just about half of the level before."

Local fishermen say the one-month fishing-ban has just passed. They say there are usually no fish in the river at this time of the year. In fact, locals say they have been suffering from a declining catch year after year since the early 1990s.

Lv Quanjiang and his wife still keep up the habit of fishing everyday. But they say nowadays big fish have become extremely scarce.

Lv said, "There used to be plenty of big fish in the river. But now they have almost all disappeared. There are more people fishing than before. The river was once polluted, but the situation has improved a lot these days."