Ganghei Harbour

Gangbei Harbour lay on the eastern coast of Hainan, beside the fishing communities of Hele and Yandun in Wanning. Its sheltered water joined the sea to a local economy of fish, salt and market exchange. Across the harbour, Yandun's inhabitants remembered a salt-boiling tradition extending back more than six centuries: seawater was concentrated into brine, then heated in pans over wood fires. Salt making supported households on land where farming offered limited opportunities.

The neighbouring market of Hele also had a long history. After its earlier street was destroyed in disorders at the beginning of the Ming, traders established new shops near Liantang, beside a prosperous fishing settlement. Boats and shore markets linked producers with buyers without requiring the harbour to become an overseas entrepôt. The water was a setting for communal celebrations as well as work. Local county tradition traced dragon-boat racing at Gangbei to the Song period, with fishing families gathering for the Dragon Boat Festival. In the Ming and Qing centuries, salt pans, fish markets and boat crews gave this Hainan inlet its own maritime life.