Cormorant Fishing by Torch — Guilin Li River China
The traditional ukai cormorant fishing of the Li River near Yangshuo and Guilin is one of China's oldest continuous fishing traditions — fishermen standing on bamboo rafts at night, controlling trained great cormorants on leashes, the birds diving for fish and returning to the raft, unable to swallow their catch thanks to a ring tied loosely around the neck. Performed by torchlight reflected on the river surface, the cormorants' torpedo plunges into the black water and the fisherman's expert handling of multiple birds simultaneously creates a spectacle that bridges the domestic and the natural in a way unique to this tradition. The karst pinnacle backdrop visible in the moonlight behind the torchlit rafts gives the scene an atmospheric depth impossible to replicate. Working fishing families still use the technique as their primary livelihood in a few villages — not purely for tourists — giving the spectacle authentic economic weight alongside its visual drama.
About this spectacle
After dark on the Li River near Xingping, bamboo rafts drift into lamplight-pooled black water while fishermen direct trained great cormorants on slender leashes. Each bird plunges like a torpedo beneath the torch's amber glow, surfacing seconds later with a fish gripped in its bill — a fish it cannot swallow thanks to a soft ring tied around its neck. The fisherman lifts the bird, removes the catch, and releases it again in one fluid motion, sometimes managing four or five birds simultaneously. The torchlight catches the cormorants' wet plumage in flashes of iridescent green-black against the river's mirror surface, while the jagged karst pinnacles rise ghostlike in the moonlit background. Sound is intimate: the slap of a plunging bird, the creak of bamboo, the hiss of the torch. This is not a staged re-enactment — working families in a handful of riverside villages still depend on the catch, lending the spectacle an authenticity rarely found in living traditions of this age.
When to go
Jan — Dec, peak Apr — Oct
Getting there
Nearest airport: KWL. Nearest city: Guilin.
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