Xiapu Tidal Flats

Xiapu Tidal Flats

Xiapu Tidal Flats

Tidal flats are the link between land and sea. As defined in the Modern Chinese Dictionary: shallow beaches formed by the deposition of silt and sand carried by rivers or ocean currents in relatively flat areas near river mouths or coastlines. Fujian Province alone has nearly 3 million mu of tidal flats. Over the long course of history, through countless tides, the tidal flats have formed their own unique landscapes. Especially in recent years, the rapidly developing near-shore tidal flat aquaculture—with its fishing raft wooden houses, small boats and nets, floating buoys and bamboo poles—creates ever-changing compositions with the rise and fall of the tides, attracting the attention of countless photographers.

Tidal flats are part of the sea. At high tide, they merge seamlessly with the ocean, offering the vastness of water meeting the sky and the majestic beauty of crashing waves. At low tide, they reveal the wear of time—the winding channels, scattered fishing boats, endless oyster racks, seaweed swaying in the wind, fishing rafts bobbing on the blue waves, and green fishing nets drying on golden beaches... All of these are poetic and picturesque.

Xiapu County has the longest coastline of any city or county in Fujian Province and is also the place where tidal flat scenery is most typical and concentrated. If you enter via the Tongsan Expressway from FenShui Pass in Zhejiang, it’s just a forty-minute drive. Here, in January and February, people harvest razor clam seedlings; in March and April, they plant oyster racks; in May and June, they dry kelp and catch fish fry; in September and October, they hang laver. There’s also year-round fishing raft aquaculture and small-scale sea harvesting. It’s fair to say that, as long as the weather permits, you can visit anytime, and the sea will never disappoint or leave you empty-handed.