After two years of preparation and development, China’s first Tanka culture museum will open in Xincun Town, Lingshui on Sept. 22, putting Tanka cultural items, foods, clothing, and tools on display.

The Tanka people traditionally live their whole lives on the sea, depending on the ocean for their livelihoods, and have developed a completely unique culture of their own. The Tanka people of Hainan live mainly in the waters of Haikou, Sanya, Lingshui, Wenchang, Qionghai, Ledong, and Lingao. Currently, Hainan’s largest population of Tanka people, around 15,000, live in the Lingshui area.

As many Tanka people are now leaving their lives on the water for more stable footing on land, the traditional Tanka culture and way of life is in danger of dying out. In order to keep their culture safe for future generations to cherish, a unique Tanka cultural museum is about to open in Xincun, Lingshui.  

An overview of the floating Tanka fishing village in Xincun Harbor, Lingshui (Photo: Hinews & New Hainan app）

The Hainan Tanka Museum occupies a total area of around 20,000 square meters. It is built to resemble a ‘Tanka hat’, with the facade along the sides of the buildings achieving a woven appearance. The four connected structures include an exhibition hall, cultural and creative areas, a lecture hall, a 5D cinema, a cultural relic storehouse, and other supporting areas.

The Hainan Tanka Museum (Source: File Photo)

A rendering of the Hainan Tanka Museum

After the museum opens, it will hold five major exhibitions and other activities annually, including an Ocean Culture Exhibit, Tanka Culture Photo Exhibit, an International Ocean Art Exhibit, a Tanka Traditional Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition, and a Tanka Cultural Creativity Competition and Product Exhibit, welcoming visitors from Hainan and around the world to learn more about both the Tanka people and the ocean culture.

In order to put together an excellent display of Tanka culture, Lingshui conducted preliminary research and field visits to over 30 villages and other communities, amassing a final collection of more than 2,000 Tanka cultural items. Lingshui also brought in industry experts to appraise and evaluate the collection. At present, the Hainan Tanka Museum plans to exhibit 360 of these cultural artifacts.

According to the Lingshui authorities, once the Hainan Tanka Museum is completed, it will be developed as a Tanka cultural tourism site along with nearby areas including Nanwan Monkey Island, Nanwan Village, Li’an Lagoon, and Xinxun Lagoon.