Seafood market booms in coastal city as fishing resumes in South China Sea

China

Seafood market booms in coastal city as fishing resumes in South China Sea

2026-08-18 19:08 Last Updated At：19:47

Yangjiang City in south China's coastal Guangdong Province is expected to see a peak season for aquatic product trading and seafood consumption as fishing operations resumed in the South China Sea following the end of the annual seasonal fishing moratorium at 12:00 on Sunday. More than 3,400 fishing boats have set sail from the city to the South China Sea since the three-and-a-half-month summer fishing moratorium ended.

Before their fishing voyage, fishermen at the Zhapo National Central Fishing Port made full preparations, including checking engines, ice makers and safety equipment, arranging fishing nets and ropes, and loading fuel and daily necessities onto ships.

"We hope all those who set sail can come back with fruitful catches. We hope we will catch plenty of fish and be happy," said Yang Xiong, a fisherman.

All fishing boats departing from the port are installed with the BeiDou navigation and ship identification systems, and large and medium-sized steel fishing boats are also equipped with intelligent sonar fish detectors and satellite communication devices. The seafood can come into the market quickly through trading channels, cold chain warehousing and e-commerce live-streaming after getting ashore. The first batch by fishing boats returned to the Zhapo port on the early morning of Monday.

Fisherman sorted out fish by species and size and put shrimps and crabs into keep-alive baskets for purchasers to check the quality of the seafood, negotiate a price, and package them for transportation. Besides purchasers, many visitors made a special trip to the port from other cities to buy fresh seafood.

"I come from Qingyuan to see so many fishing boats and the seafood. It's my first time to see so much fresh seafood. I'm so happy," said Lin, a visitor. The seafood also attracted many visitors at a market near the port. At around 09:00, the market was bustling with local residents and tourists who were bargaining over prices with merchants while chatting about how to cook the seafood.

Canadian artist's bonsai studio sparks new growth in Sichuan's rural industries

A Canadian artist's bonsai studio has become a popular tourist attraction this summer in Chongzhou City, Sichuan Province, southwest China, boosting the local bonsai trade and contributing to rural revitalization.

Bonsai, the art of creating miniature natural landscapes by arranging soil, stones, moss, and plants on a tray, has deep cultural roots in Chongzhou.

In 2019, Canadian artist Chad Sinclair rented a small courtyard and launched his own bonsai studio in the city. Sinclair has developed a unique bonsai style, blending Western simplicity with the artistic essence of traditional Chinese design.

Small and lightweight, his bonsai works are popular, driving more than 300 local residents to switch to miniature bonsai cultivation and increasing each of their annual incomes by 50,000 yuan (about 7,415 U.S. dollars).

"It's great. It makes me feel like I'm helping the village out, since they've helped me out in a lot of ways. I'm somehow giving back to them. They're able to make a better living for themselves and a better life," said Sinclair.

Relying on Sichuan-style bonsai, Chongzhou has developed industries including bonsai cultivation and art study tours, extending the city's industrial chain from bonsai sales to rural tourism.

"We run multiple services such as catering, study tours, bonsai sales and bonsai DIY experiences, which have boosted our annual income to 180,000 to 200,000 yuan," said Guo Min, a local bonsai garden manager.

In 2025, Sinclair was honored as an Outstanding Talent for Rural Revitalization by local authorities, making him the first foreigner to receive this title.

"We will provide special subsidies for these selected rural talents, alongside policy support covering production, daily life, entrepreneurship and employment. Chongzhou has certified more than 200 rural revitalization talents," said Lu Jiao, a local official.