A chance encounter with a fisherman in February 2017 in China’s second largest Dongting Lake has brought me into the inner word of an enclosed community of around 10,000 people who seek a living by fishing in the enormous lake. Largely unknown to the outside world, it is essentially a subordinated, impoverished and battered community. Faced with circumstances such as lake shrinkage, pollution, and ageing, their traditional way of life is rapidly falling apart. My subsequent visits also revealed a vast spiritual world nurtured by folklore and myths and guided by a strong sense of community and shared rituals.
A chance encounter with a fisherman in February 2017 in China’s second largest Dongting Lake has brought me into the inner word of an enclosed community of around 10,000 people who seek a living by fishing in the enormous lake.
Largely unknown to the outside world, it is essentially a subordinated, impoverished and battered community. Faced with circumstances such as lake shrinkage, pollution, and ageing, their traditional way of life is rapidly falling apart. My subsequent visits also revealed a vast spiritual world nurtured by folklore and myths and guided by a strong sense of community and shared rituals.