Page 82 - August Life In Naples Magazine

travel

THE END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

FOR TWO EIGHTY YEAR OLDS

THE LAST CORMORANT FISHERMEN

by Ron McGinty
I will tell you what the last cormorant fishermen, Yue Chuan

and Yue Ming, do now but first, let's gaze into their lives.
Brothers Hung Yue Chuan (88) and Hung Yue Ming (82)
began a life of fishing before the age of ten in a remote region
of the Li River. Both are capable of fishing today, but the river was
over-fished. As young men, they built their homes close to the
river and next to each other. In the Hung’s homes were pictures
of not only the current household but also multiple generations.
I experienced a lifestyle still very basic with kitchen stoves no
more than an open fire with a grate. Twelve-foot ceilings helped
for the summer heat; winter demands lots of blankets. The saying
“want not need not” is visible. Yue Chuan has one son and three
daughters, and Yue Ming has three daughters and two sons.
Unfortunately, Yue Ming lost his wife due to diabetes two years
ago, not much medical care. The male children normally follow in
their father’s footsteps, but theirs had to leave for work in the city.
The most valued treasure I found in China is family.
What is cormorant fishing? The cormorant is a bird who

82 Life in Naples | Aug/Sept/Oct 2018