This article is from WeChat official account:Tsinghua University Fresh Times (ID: qingxintimes) , author: Qian Pei, the Editor: Huang Hong-hee, head Figure from: vision China
In January 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the “Implementation Plan for Banning Fishing and Establishing a Compensation System in Key Waters of the Yangtze River Basin”, which preliminarily clarified the ten-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River.
According to the follow-up “Announcement of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on the Scope and Time of Prohibition of Catch in Key Waters of the Yangtze River Basin” and other documents, the classification of key waters of the Yangtze River Basin will be banned in stages.
The first step is to prohibit productive fishing in 332 nature reserves and aquatic germplasm resource reserves, including the National Nature Reserve for Rare and Endemic Fish in the Upper Yangtze River, starting at 0:00 on January 1, 2020. .
The second step is to implement a tentative plan for natural waters in the main stream and important tributaries of the Yangtze River, except for the aquatic organism nature reserve and the aquatic germplasm resource reserve, starting at 0:00 on January 1, 2021 at the latest. A 10-year annual ban on fishing, during which productive fishing of natural fishery resources is prohibited.
Along with the roar of machinery that dismantled fishing boats and old houses, the fishing villages where people used to go were razed to the ground, and the scene of full fishing boats on the harbor no longer existed. The fishermen go ashore, their lives are restarted, and they are endless. The Three Gorges Project many years ago witnessed persistent discussions on environmental and immigration issues, but is the ten-year ban on fishing also a microcosm of further changes in the Yangtze River? The expansion of the city will definitely focus on the river bank where the river was once flooded, and factories, ports and residential areas are destined to continue to reshape this long-standing mother river.
This project focuses on a short 40-50 kilometers of river bank line somewhere in Jiangsu, and records what you see and hear along the line.
Flat tides and broad shores: rivers, bridges and countryside
The metaphor of this shore and the other shore is an eternal topic. When the line of sight wanders back and forth between the other bank, the river and this bank, the first thing to observe is the global landscape.
As the saying goes, “One bridge flies north and south, and the sky becomes a thoroughfare.” The bridge connects the two sides of the strait.. The former Xin-Chang Railway was abandoned due to years of losses. Ships go from east to west, and some cargo ships are often moored on the shore.
Roar of machines: factories, ports, and cargo ships
One of the typical features of cities in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River is the developed inland ports. With the expansion of ports, various factories represented by shipyards have also been further developed. The endless cargo ships on the river carry bulk goods, and the factories on the shore are running around the clock, telling the story of modernization.
There are many simple piers on the river bank for boats to stop and rest. The port is managed by a port company to carry out loading and unloading operations, and a large number of cargoes circulate here every day.
The shipbuilding industry is the local pillar industry, and the demand for cargo ships is still not small today.
The port provides raw materials for factories, solids such as coal and wood, and liquids such as crude oil. As a result, there are many related factories near the port, such as coal plants, cement plants, petrochemical plants, and timber plants.
Fishing boat singing night: fishing ban, landing and restarting
“Fishing is getting harder and harder and getting ashore is a good thing.” The 63-year-old fisherman Zhou Wangbao preached. This is indeed the case. In just 20 to 30 years, saury, one of the three freshest in the Yangtze River, has become scarce, from the price of cabbage in the past to the sky-high price today. In many cases, fishermen have to go downstream, even reaching the Yellow Sea or the East China Sea. The journey takes as short as ten days or as long as several months.
Different from the current meaning of “port” in the word “港”, its original meaning is “a tributary of a river”, as the interpretation in the Kangxi dictionary says, “water flows. One is a boat in the water.” For example, Xiashi Port Not a port, but a tributary of the Yangtze River. The hustle and bustle of Xiashi Port in the past is now silent. The fishing village has been demolished and the fishing boats have been demolished. There are only a few cargo ships moored on the shore. The skeletons of fishing boats remain on the shore, and the fishing nets are also faintly visible. On the river, white fishery administration boats patrol from time to time to punish illegal fishing. In the past, the river bank was full of fishing boats, but now only a few cargo ships can be seen.
When fishermen go ashore, most of them are properly settled and subsidized, and a few subsidies are still controversial. Many fishermen choose ship-related jobs to re-employ. After all, they have dealt with fishing boats for most of their lives.
Fishing boats and fishing villages no longer exist. Only the memories of the fishing nets are sealed up. It is indeed only sealed up. As the fisherman Zhou Wangbao said, “Never open again.”
forgotten: dilapidated houses, new houses and migration
The waves of industrialization and urbanization are rushing to the river bank. After all, new plans are built on the old world. Demolition and new construction are happening every day. In many cases, the negotiation of demolition is always difficult. There will always be some families who have not negotiated, so the houses always appear scattered.
There are also small empty shops that have witnessed the hustle and bustle of the past.
Not only the old houses are everywhere, but in many inconspicuous corners, all kinds of waste, such as cars and furniture, are scattered.
Many people who used to live here will also return to the ruins. Some people will find a small place to grow some vegetables, and some people will go fishing in the small ditch.
Final Chapter
“Shooting along the river”This photography idea is derived from American road photography (Road Photography) and the road The movie (Road Movie) tradition can even be traced back to the grand tour of the Renaissance