A fishing village where people traditionally live in floating houses on the sea in Lingshui County, south China's Hainan Province, has been flourishing in recent years thanks to the development of tourism.

The indigenous fishermen living at sea, mainly in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, are known as the Danjia people, and Lingshui is home to the largest population of them in Hainan.

The Danjia people there, who traditionally make a living from fishing, ferrying and fish farming from rafts, have begun to make use of their unique culture to develop tourism and earn money.

Restaurants serving Danjia cuisine, which focuses on bringing out the original taste of fresh seafood and uses very simple seasonings, are popular with tourists visiting the village and the nearby Nanwan Monkey Island, the only tropical island nature reserve for macaque monkeys in China and the world.

Accommodation on the floating village is another attraction. Visitors can experience a variety of activities including sea fishing and gathering seafood on the beach while staying there. The number of the floating guest rooms has increased to 24 from only 4 in 2001 when the business started, but it still falls short of demand during high season. The rooms are already fully booked for the Spring Festival holiday.

A museum has also been built to showcase the history, culture and traditional lifestyle of the Danjia people. At the new museum, which opened last year, visitors can learn about Danjia costumes, fishing equipment, and their unique customs such as weddings on the water, and listen to fishing songs.