The Tanka community in southeast China is home to 7,000 fishermen refusing to conform to modern lives, remaining in their traditional floating homes on the sea.
Their living habits date back to the Tang Dynasty, around 700AD, when local fishermen settled on their vessels to avoid wartime chaos on the mainland.
Before the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, the gypsies of the sea’ were not allowed to go ashore.
In recent years, with the help of the local government, the fishermen have started to build houses along the shoreline.
However, many of them prefer to still live out on the sea on their floating homes as is their people’s tradition.
2013 The Daily Star