Boat Dwellers

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The Boat Dwellers, also known as Shuishangren (Chinese: 水上人; pinyin: shuǐshàng rén; Cantonese Yale: Séuiseuhngyàn; "people living on the water") or Boat People, or the Tankas, are an unrecognized ethnic group in China who traditionally lived on boats and junks in coastal parts of China's Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, Zhejiang, cities along Yangtze river, as well as Hong Kong, and Macau. The Boat Dwellers are referred to with other names outside of Guangdong. Though many now live onshore, some from the older generations still live on their boats and pursue their traditional livelihood of fishing. The origins of the Boat Dwellers can be traced back to the native ethnic minorities of southern China known historically as the Baiyue, who may have taken refuge on the sea and gradually assimilated into Han Chinese culture. However, they have preserved many of their native traditions not found in Han culture. A small number of Boat Dwellers also live in parts of Vietnam. There they are called Dan (Đản) and are classified as a subgroup of the Ngái ethnicity. Historically, the Boat Dwellers were considered outcasts. Since they lived by or on the sea, they were sometimes referred to as "sea gypsies" by both Chinese and British.