Sansha City in Hainan Province is only three years old. Surrounded by rows of coconut trees and Chinese parasol trees, Yongxing Village in the southeast of the Xisha Islands is arguably the southernmost fishing village in China, and it is fascinating to get to know its community of fishing families.

There are 159 resident villagers, 38 households, and 38 fishing boats in the village. The villagers, mostly from neighboring towns and cities, have been making a living by fishing for generations. The residents who have lived here the longest have done so for 20 years, but some newcomers have only lived here for under a year, Fu Zaichou, Director of the Yongxing Village Committee, is quoted as saying.

Villagers are self-sufficient in vegetables.

The houses in the village are all made of wood with the exception of the village committee building. Some share a striking resemblance with stilt houses. Plain as they may seem, each house is fully equipped, complete with TV, refrigerator, stereo, electric fan and other household appliances. Some even come with a generator or two to three refrigerators.

Zheng Wenru, a local villager, explains that the refrigerators are used to store seafood. The fresh seafood must be stored in the refrigerator on hot days. Otherwise, they won’t be able to secure a decent price on the market. As a result, the villagers have to pay hefty power bills. Apart from fresh seafood, they also sell dried seafood for a good price. Every year, Zheng sells a considerable amount of dried seafood. He settled down in the village in 2005 and has been living here with his wife for nearly two years. Excluding 3,000 yuan living expenses every month, he could save 50,000 to 60,000 yuan each year.

Selling seafood

Gao Haizhen and her husband Huang Liangrui have been living on this island for almost 10 years. Having learned hairdressing before, she opened a barbershop in the village. Despite its small size, the barbershop has gained quite a reputation within the island. She has many customers because of her masterful skills. She charges only 8 yuan for the entire set of services, including hair washing, cutting and drying, which is less than half the price of that of Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province. She also served as a female representative in the village a few years ago.

Gao Haizhen's barbershop