The whole process of building a canoe takes around 10 days. Orders contain different shape and size requirements. A regular boat is priced at 2,600 yuan ($411). Sometimes Gao works overnight to meet deadlines so he keeps a single bed at his workshop - a 10-square-meter space inside a residential building in Xinhua village, Huangjing town.

No air-conditioner or electric fan is installed inside the small, wood-infused workshop, so Gao has to endure the blistering heat of summer and cold temperatures and damp air in winter.

Gao Dabao, 68, planes a section of a canoe inside his workshop in Xinhua village, Huangjing town, Taicang. [Photo from Taicang Daily]

It is not an easy trade to engage in, but Gao has racked up 40 years on the job, which has earned him a regular clientele. Of his customers, 260 are fishermen from the village of Shipai in Kunshan, Jiangsu province. They appreciate the practical use of the boats.

The canoes are light, durable, safe and easy to operate, according to Gao. If treated well, they can be fishermen's best friend.

Low pay and an unappealing working environment have made the craft unattractive among young people and the business is suffering from a shortage of willing apprentices. Gao, who started learning the technics of boat building since he was 14, fears the craft will be lost in the next generation.

However, the craft might not be destined for the history books; a supermarket recently bought a boat from Gao to showcase farm produce on it after being drawn to the simple and elegant appearance of the boats. While Gao has never focused on aesthetics, it may point to a new market demand.

 

By Liu Sitong and edited by Jacob Hooson

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