Fisherfolk of Weishan Island

Weishan Island, surrounded on all sides by water, lies amid the vast emerald waves of Weishan Lake.

For generations, the Yin family made their home on boats, surviving on the lake's fish.

During the years of the War of Resistance, Grandfather quietly rowed his little fishing boat to deliver intelligence and hide wounded soldiers for the Weihu Brigade and the Railway Guerrillas. The reed beds concealed lives, and a small boat was a lifeline.

After the founding of the country, the lake rose and shrank again. The family made a living from it, cutting reeds, training hawks, casting nets, and building raised fields.

When reform and opening up came, the lake grew lively. Fish cages spread across the water and lotus fields expanded. Just as life began to improve, the lake region's restoration began, and fishing was banned to return the lake to its natural state.

The son agonized over whether to move ashore, while the grandson studied his way off the island. Many years later, the younger generation returned, hoping to preserve the Duangu opera and the old fishing folk crafts on these shores.

One lake, one island, four generations.

There were partings, longing, struggles, and homecomings.

The lotuses of Weishan Lake bloomed and faded, and the ferries crossed back and forth year after year, telling the story of ordinary people in southern Shandong, their fate and homesickness spanning nearly a century.