What Everybody Ought to Know About Tanka People Who Never Come on Land

Amazing Peoples Who Never Come On Land

• Today a great historical story about Tanka people of China who are inhabitants of water.

• Ancient fishing people in China have made a village on water are known as "Tanka"

• The Tanka people, named 'gypsies of the sea', live in floating homes and seafood farms

What is Meaning of Tanka

"The term Tanka is now considered derogatory and no longer in common use. These boat dwellers are now referred to in China as "on-water people" ( from Wikipedia)

These are a group of such people who are inhabitants of  China's provinces
Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan and Zhejiang's rivers and beaches are populated.
Besides Hong Kong and Macau, some people also live in Vietnam and their lifestyle is same as people are living in Macau.

Tanka , It is said that they can hide underwater without breathing any river or sea floor for three days.

History tells that once the tank was called 'lower caste people, why was no respect in society because they used to live in boats aloways.  In Chinese and British, they were called 'sea gypsies.  In other words, we can say that the inhabitants of the boats on land.
These boats are the whole house including living room, kitchen, bathroom, everything is their marriage rituals are also performed on ships. someone dies, even if they then last rites are also performed on ships. Most of the people live in rivers of China called the Boat People who had never come to land.
The first group of people in Hong Kong who had migrated first.

Tanka people of Hong Kong 

In the northwest of the Lan Toa island of Hong Kong Tai O Fishermen's Village is situated.
This whole town constructed of wood and large architectural feat was performed by Tankas. Obviously they were uncomfort to lands, so they built their homes with the help of wooden raised platform though they did not break their relationship with water.

People here often either solder or the fishing trade. These people are connected with the work of salt , but some people do very good work, as they dive into the sea or opium trade and pearl fishery. Then over to the edges of the rivers and the seas began to build markets or village . However, still remains in a large number of boats.

You can not imagine they love life boats.  In the beginning Tanka people lived in small boats and all boats were docked together in one place on the river or ocean marine colony was being conveyed. probably Hence they are also called sea gypsies, sea gypsies.


Their boats are called tankyaz. These boats are up to seven meters in length and run by their women instead of men. These boats are small and have only one sailboards and generally they have only room for two passengers.

Since these boats have very important and fundamental role in people's lives, their children at an early age to climb and learn to control their cords. They calmly took every kind of goods on ships on their backs, even young children are also used in boats piled on her back and give off. They are specialized in this work from the start.

Discrimination against Tanka people
From the beginning Tankas are facing inequalities in the political, social and economic fields. Both Hong Kong Chinese and British governments discrimination against their will.
In the beginning, the Chinese government did not recognize them the part of Hong Kong
Then in the 1950s the British persecution faced the colonial government plan of their home's destroying . Britain's government wanted them removed from the water on the land to be bought and they also make regular home ground. But it did not happen, which is why today wooden are still their and in which they are populated, Not these people are agreed to leave their traditional homes.
With Hong Kong's development fishing here grew badly contaminated the land affected.  For these people in their small boats to go deep sea fishing is not possible. These poor beaches reduced to kharyun with their boats and Floating Villages (village floating on the water) around the scene.

Current Position

So now the situation is that the younger generation has been living on the coast, but their old ever ancient, narrow and traditional boats stayed in and are ready to step in water.
Most of the rivers and seas turning them died by drowning. Who had survived the boats in rivers and seas and made his home there remained hidden for a long time. 

Meanwhile they fill your stomach with fish not be said, but if they try to come to this land to be killed. Punishment enough for them that they can not live on land. actually believed that the thighs of water and they would not buy It will be our own end, but they're alive and still have the same old lifestyle is ready to accept them.

The floating fishermen's village is located in Ningde City in southeast China’s Fujian province.
Here are some Pictures about their lifestyle,homes and colonies in seas and rivers.

Today People of Hong Kong and China visit this Island on weekends and this area is getting popularity day by day.


Hope you will enjoy the picture and history of Tanka people, If you have any other information picture of these amazing people  please share in comments.