Human Workers Drag the Ships

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Rivers have run through the Bayu area since ancient times, so road transportation is rarely an option. Most people choose the water to get around. In some rushing and narrow waterways, boats needed someone to pull them in order for them to move. These rough conditions created a job as the boat tracker.
Impression of Wulong performs on the Fairy Mountain. As audiences are entering the theater, they pass through a tunnel that shows the history of boat trackers and views of Wulong. After the machine boats and ships took over around 1960s, boat trackers were gone forever. In these pictures, the men were nude. Jack pulled my sleeve and asked me, “Their penises are dangling! Why didn’t they wear anything?”
During the performance, an old boat tracker answered the question. He said, “First, you can’t use your full strength in the water if you wear clothes. Second, the river was rushing. If you wear anything, the clothes might twist with the rope and cause death. Third, the rocks were so sharp that these clothes would not last long. They don’t want to waste their money for this. Forth, boat trackers usually would not see anyone on their way. If they were going to pass by some towns, they only needed to yell that the boat tracker was coming. The girls knew they need to keep away.”
Although the emotions from audiences were phenomenal, the moment that touched my heart was from the stage. I could tell how hard their life was just from looking at their clothes, but they never yield to life. They yelled, they jumped, and they sang! I saw their determination and optimism. They didn’t blame life or others. They saved their energy to work, and they worked hard.
The performers were locals. They may not have been the most well-educated but when I heard them sing, I was shocked. I could feel the emotion in the songs, they were so touching. It was amazing to hear.
When the scene fell, the stage was dark but the sounds of the performers still echoed. The sound penetrated my ears and my heart, and it blended with the mountains. The occupation of being a boat tracker is no longer around, but the spirit of the workers lives on. A spirit that is tough and relentless!

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