The first dawn of 2026 on Lingshui's Xincun Lagoon. (Source: hinews.cn)

It's early morning on the first day of 2026, and the sun has barely broken the horizon as the fishing community of Xincun Village in Lingshui, Hainan, rouses from its sleep. The soft golden rays illuminate the still lagoon and mountains beyond, heralding the promise of a prosperous new year for the residents of this fishing harbor designed by nature.

The first dawn of 2026 on Lingshui's Xincun Lagoon. (Source: hinews.cn)

The first dawn of 2026 on Lingshui's Xincun Lagoon. (Source: hinews.cn)

Out on the lagoon, the floating village of the Tanka people—a latticework of boats moored up at perpendicular piers—bobs up and down as a whole. The red-roofed cabins aboard capture the virgin sun's rays, glowing warmly like rubies above the emerald-green waters.

The first dawn of 2026 on Lingshui's Xincun Lagoon. (Source: hinews.cn)

The first dawn of 2026 on Lingshui's Xincun Lagoon. (Source: hinews.cn)

At the wharf, the sound of waves gently lapping against the sea walls is interspersed with cheerful blasts from boats' horns. The first catch of the year, netted as 2025 gave way to 2026, has already been unloaded on the dockside, the fish's silver scales capturing the eye and brininess bracing the nose. Some fisherfolk are deftly loading their hauls onto waiting trucks, while others peddle their produce directly in situ, calling out to the early birds looking to catch the best worms. The constant hum of haggling over price and clanging as the fish are weighed means that the year has gotten off to a good start.

The first dawn of 2026 on Lingshui's Xincun Lagoon. (Source: hinews.cn)

As dawn breaks into morning, tourists begin steadily streaming into the harbor, eager to "caffeinate" themselves with the brisk sea breezes and capture photos of this fishing community at its most bustling.

The sun continues its progress across the sky as the deep-sea fishing trawlers sound their horns in farewell; it's time to set out into the blue once more with renewed hope for a bumper haul. They cut through the azure waters, leaving winding, milky trails in their wake as the shore and floating village grow further away from them. Thus, the new year begins in this national first-class fishing port, where the Tanka culture continues to thrive, and small-town prosperity endures.