The Dying Of The Light: Men Who Fish With Fire

Each year from May to July the fishermen of the northern district of Jinshan in New Taipei City take to the waters in the dying light of sunset to carry out an age-old practice; the art of fire fishing.
Taiwan is home to many intriguing local customs and traditions such as the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, but none capture the imagination quite as much as fire fishing. For three months of the year, local fishermen spend up to six hours each night out on the water. Using a mix of chemicals, they light fires at the end of bamboo sticks enabling them to attract sardines in their thousands.

At one time the area boasted 300 fire fishing boats, but now the local fleet is down to just three vessels. Unfortunately, the practice is now a dying art with less than 30 fishermen taking part in the three-month fishing season.

A good night of fishing might yield a haul of 3-4 tons of sardines for each boat. However, given that each boat has ten fishermen to support and a short 90-day window, many young locals are disinterested in taking up the trade.

The average age of the fishermen is 60 and this combined with the fact that their boats and equipment are quite old makes for a hard three-month shift. Thankfully the government provides a subsidy to encourage the fishermen to keep up the practice and pass on their skills to the next generation of fishermen.

The practice is enjoying the limelight in recent years thanks to the Jinshan Sulphuric Fire Fishing Festival which began in 2013. The festival organizers arrange nightly photography trips to build interest in this local tradition and raise money to keep the practice alive for future generations.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.