Preserving the Fisher-Hunter Legacy

By staff reporter JOY JIAO

ERJIEGOU Town in Dawa County of Panjin City， Liaoning Province is home to the ancient fishing community known as the “Yuyan.” They live a nomadic fishing life， migrating along the coastline to fish in the shoals or shallow sea of the estuary. Volumes of stories about the experiences of earlier generations in different locations have been passed down through history. Liu Zeting feels obligated to keep them alive.

Liu has compiled a collection of more than 1，000 Yuyan artefacts over a span of 40 years. They range from bulky items， like a six-meter metal anchor， to miniature stone tools the size of a jujube. Liu swears to preserve the Yuyan legacy till the last day of his life.

Living Fossil of Primitive Life

Yuyan literally means wild goose fishers， and denotes fishermen that move from one place to another in pursuit of their catch. They survived the fisher-hunter age and the agricultural civilization that followed. As they lack sophisticated tackle， the Yuyan cannot venture far into the ocean and so confine their hunting grounds to the shallow waters at the estuary along the coastline. A hardy people who have seen the worst of nature and braved tides and torrents on a daily basis， they， along with their splendid culture， represent a way of life that is on the verge of extinction throughout the world.

According to Liu Zetings research， the Yuyan in Erjiegou are mostly descendants of fishermen from central and eastern Hebei who moved here either by land or water. Some fishermen came on foot from regions in eastern Hebei， such as Laoting and Luannan， in the 1930s， hence their epithet the Luyan （terrestrial wild goose）. In the late 1970s another group from Wenanwa in central Hebei brought their families to the Liaohe River estuary by boat， and became known as Shuiyan （aquatic wild geese）. They worked there from spring to autumn， and returned to their hometown in the winter.

The Yuyan stories constitute an oral literature about the primitive lifestyle of this community that consists of myths， legends， and fishing songs. Traits originating in the primitive culture and timehonored nomadic life that define the Yuyan， their beliefs， customs， and cultural creations， distinguish their stories from those told in other fishing villages. They are generally short， have simple plots， and feature a consistent content and style.

Saving Memories of Forefathers

Liu Zeting， 71， is a son of the Yuyan. For decades he has amassed the legends and myths of his people and documented around 1，000 to share with his fellow men. No one has better knowledge of the ancient Yuyan culture in the Liaohe River estuary.

Liu traveled with his family along rivers between Wenanwa in Hebei Province and Erjiegou in Liaoning Province， chasing the fish shoals， as a boy. In their spare time his grandfather， parents and other clan elders would tell him stories of his people which， along with the traditional Yuyan life， he cherishes as childhood memories that had profound impact on him in his later life.

Alarmed by the shrinking Yuyan community in modern times， Liu Zeting， as a cultural official in the town government， began to transcribe the folklores he had memorized and made a study of them in his spare time. His efforts resulted in transcripts of over one million characters.

The 1，000 or so stories Liu has recorded are succinct and compact， covering every aspect of life of the time-honored Yuyan group. They include worship of the God of Sea and Dragon King， the origin and evolution of fishing tools， and tributes to ancestors.

Liu is a great story-teller. His personal experience of fishing enables him to recount these stories in evocative language， peppering them with fishing songs， work chants and mime， so vividly recreating these scenarios in his audiences imagination.

Based on his study， Liu has published several books. His history of Fishing Customs and Life won the Shanhua （mountain flower） Prize in 2001 in the academic category of folk literature. At his suggestion the municipal government of Panjin founded the Liaohe River Estuary Ancient Yuyan Cultural Legacy Museum， which serves as a vehicle through which to preserve and demonstrate the marine Yuyan culture.

Now in his early 70s， Liu Zeting is as devoted to the study of Yuyan legacy as ever. Yuyan stories were recognized as national intangible cultural heritage in 2006， and Erjiegou proudly named several sites in the town after this appellation， among them Yuyan Town and Yuyan Plaza. Liu， however， argues that more must be done. “Few really know what the ancient Yuyan signifies，” he said. “It is actually a cultural genre dating back to the prehistoric age that existed in various parts of the world. I hope Chinas venerable Yuyan stories might become world-class cultural heritage， because that， by their nature， is what they constitute.”

The Yuyan museum receives large numbers of visitors every year， and Liu gladly acts as a guide for the students who flock to the museum in the winter and summer vacations. Under his influence， his daughter and son-in-law are also versed in Yuyan culture， and are equally committed to its preservation.