Self-Driving to Hailing Island: The Fishing Festival Feast and Island Carnival

"With the fishing ban lifted, a thousand sails set forth!" As the morning sun pierced the clouds, the whistles of ships at Zhapo National Central Fishing Port cut through the sea breeze, and over 1,000 fishing vessels raced toward the South China Sea like arrows released from their bows—this was the spectacular scene of the South China Sea Fishing Festival on August 16, and the highlight of our self-driving trip to Hailing Island. Fishing Festival: The Island's Grand Celebration We arrived just in time for the 22nd South China Sea Fishing Festival. At the sacrificial ceremony on the fishing port docks, Tanka fishermen dressed in traditional attire performed ancient rituals to pray for a bountiful harvest. The evening's fishing village feast was even more astonishing—the 2-kilometer-long Haibin Road pedestrian street was lined with nearly a thousand tables of seafood feasts, buzzing with excitement. Freshly steamed mudflat fish, crispy and fragrant salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp, and local snacks like Spanish mackerel fish balls and fried rice cakes—each bite felt like swallowing the vastness of the ocean. At noon the next day, as the fishing ban was officially lifted, drones captured the epic sight of a thousand ships setting sail: steel-hulled fishing boats plowed through the emerald waves, white foam churning, as the fleet sailed majestically into the open sea. A child pointed at the fleet and cheered, "They're going to bring back the ocean's treasures!" Island Adventures: From Shipwreck Mysteries to Dancing on the Waves • Exploring the "Maritime Dunhuang" At the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum, the Song Dynasty shipwreck "Nanhai I" rests quietly in its crystal palace. While my child pressed against the glass wall counting celadon porcelain, I was awestruck by the reconstructed Tanka merchant ship—an 800-year-old vessel carrying 60,000 treasures, like a seafaring dream transcending time. • The Liveliness of the Cultural Street Zhapo Fishing Village Cultural Street is a living showcase of Tanka culture. In a shrimp paste workshop, my child eagerly stuffed silver fish into earthen jars as the master craftsman chuckled, "This is called 'overnight pickles'—just one night of marinating will make it delicious enough to knock your socks off!" At a corner shop, we savored authentic fish noodles paired with pearl water chestnut soup, the flavors bursting on our tongues. • The Blue Pulse of Dajiao Bay Surfers zoomed down rainbow slides, their laughter mingling with the splashing waves. We rented jet skis to slice through the waves and strolled hand in hand along the beach at sunset. The moment the waves lapped at our ankles, all the summer heat melted away. Family Bonus: Mangrove Foraging and Salted Fish DIY The mudflats of the Mangrove Wetland Park were a natural classroom. Armed with small buckets, we ventured along the boardwalk, where fiddler crabs danced in the mud. My child shrieked with delight upon digging up a live clam: "Mom! The shell is sticking out its tongue!" In the evening, we joined a hotel workshop to make "overnight pickles" salted fish. As we coated the gleaming Spanish mackerel with salt, my child carefully wrote a label: "This is the treasure I caught!" Accommodation Recommendations: Sleeping to the Sound of Waves • Budget-Friendly Pick: Pingzhou Seaview Hotel's 180° ocean-view rooms offer stunning views of Dajiao Bay's waves, lulling you to sleep with the sound of the tide (¥499 per person, including meals and lodging). • Luxury Option: Element Hotel by Marriott boasts full ocean-view balconies overlooking the Ten-Mile Silver Beach, just a 3-minute walk to the sand (around ¥800/night). Self-Driving Tips • Route: A 3-hour direct drive from Guangzhou; avoid holiday traffic peaks. • Foraging Gear: Non-slip rubber boots and small shovels/buckets (rentals available at Washai Bay). • Sunscreen Alert: One "slow-to-learn" dad forgot to apply sunscreen to his feet and ended up with a pair of "red-braised pig trotters"! On the way back, the children cradled their seashells and whispered, "These are gifts from the ocean." Perhaps the meaning of travel is to let the salty sea breeze etch itself into our memories, so that every journey forward carries the echo of the sea. (The 2025 Fishing Festival runs until August 18—don’t miss the Tanka wedding customs parade!)