China News Service, Guilin, August 3rd: Fishermen models on the Li River in Guilin

  Author Jiang Fenghui Ou Huilan

  In Xingping Town, Yangshuo County, Guilin City, Guangxi Province, the best photography spot with a background pattern of RMB 20. Huang Yuechuang, who is over 80 years old, wears a bamboo hat and a Chinese-style jacket, and carries two bamboo poles with cormorants perched on his shoulders. White beards, take photos with tourists.

This is Huang Yuechuang's daily "job", he is a famous local fisherman model.

  Since the 1980s, as one of the first tourist cities in China to open to the outside world, Guilin has been favored by domestic and foreign tourists for its "landscapes that are the best in the world". Many local fishermen have eaten "tourism meals" one after another. A group of fishermen on the Li River Models came into being.

The picture shows the best photography spot for the background pattern of RMB 20 in Xingping Town, Yangshuo County, Guilin City. Tourists take a group photo with Huang Yuechuang.

Photo by Ou Whelan

  Huang Yuechuang, who lives in Dahebei Village, Xingping Town, Yangshuo County, has lived on fishing for generations.

"I started working part-time as a model for fishermen on the Lijiang River in 2000." Huang Yuechuang, 82, said that in summer and autumn, the Lijiang River is a peak season for photography, and many photographers will call him in advance to "make an appointment." ".

  Huang Yuechuang has a small notebook at home, and remembers the contact information of photography enthusiasts who come to take pictures by appointment. The photographers who come here are all over Russia, Germany, France, Australia and other countries.

Huang Yuechuangjia also has a yellowed album, which contains more than 20 photos of him as a model.

  Among them, in 2014, Australian photographer Navelle Jones shot "Homecoming" for him, which won the Sony World Photography Award that year.

Huang Yuechuang said with a smile that the photographer specially sent him a photo at that time, with English and Chinese written on the back of the photo, "I recognize the two Chinese characters, which are 'Sony'."

The picture shows the photographer taking pictures of Huang Yuechuang.

(Data map) Photo by Huang Huaming

  Huang Yuechuang slowly became popular, and more photographers and tourists came to him.

Huang Yue created a business card and named it "Lijiang Fisherman".

  In order to become a fisherman model, Huang Yuechuang has developed a unique ability to cast a net. He threw the fishing net into a high circle to meet the shooting needs, and also grew a long beard. He taught himself photography books to make himself more professional when shooting. , which are popular with photographers.

"Although it is inconvenient to eat with a long beard, the character's demeanor is more ancient in this way." Huang Yuechuang said.

  In order to show the traditional fishing activities of "Li River Fishing Fire", Huang Yuechuang keeps a pair of cormorants all year round.

Feed a catty of fish every day, and the cormorants are also obedient and obedient.

The picture shows Huang Yuechuang showing "Lijiang Fishing Fire".

(Data map) Photo by Qin Zhong

  According to reports, "Lijiang Fishing Fire" was originally a traditional fishing activity on the Lijiang River in Guilin. When night fell, the fishermen took bamboo rafts, lit torches, and brought a few cormorants to go fishing.

On the river, fishing fires are like stars, and cormorants appear and disappear on the water, forming a charming night hunting picture.

  With the increasing popularity of Huang Yuechuang, many fishermen along the Li River have gradually embarked on the road of modeling.

In 2008, Huang Yuechuang's brother Huang Quande resigned from his job of raising ospreys in a large-scale local live-action drama. He grew a white beard and dressed as a traditional fisherman. The two brothers formed a model partner, and Huang Quande also became the "oldest" fisherman on the Li River. model.

  "When I was feeding ospreys in the past, many tourists were very curious about me. They often asked to take pictures with me, and some even gave me tips. Maybe from then on, I was already an amateur model." Huang Quande said.

The picture shows the Huang Yuechuang brothers becoming fishermen model brothers.

(Data map) Photo by Tang Mengxian

  The brothers took care of each other. In the past few years, whenever I received a phone call from a photographer, if I needed two fishermen models and two bamboo rafts, Huang Yuechuang and my brother would support the bamboo raft to the shooting location.

The older Huang Quande sits on the boat and poses. Huang Yuechuang casts a net or directs the cormorants to fish, in accordance with the photographer's shooting action requirements.

A classic photo of the fishermen brothers also followed.

  Over the years, Huang Yue's creations have become popular all over the world as a fisherman model, which has also brought him an improvement in his life.

Before the epidemic in 2020, Huang Yuechuang could have an annual income of 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.

When he was young, he lived in a brick house and traveled by bicycle. Now he and his family live in a small building, and the family also bought a car.

  82-year-old Huang Yuechuang said frankly that his brother is now in his 90s, and he is also very old. Riding a bamboo raft and casting a net also requires skill and strength. He loves to be a fisherman model, but now he will take orders selectively. , don't let yourself get too tired.

(Finish)