为答谢村民，家族四代人免费摆渡141年|A 141-year-old ferry run by one family

Located in Jianshi County, Enshi Prefecture, Central China's Hubei Province, Dashahe village is named after the river that flows across it.

大沙河村位于湖北省恩施州建始县。村子中间流淌过的河，就叫大沙河。

The ancestors of the Wan family built a boat and began ferrying people voluntarily.

141年前，一个姓万的家族在河边设船，义务为村民摆渡。

Wan Qizhen, 76, is the family's current ferryman.

76岁的万其珍是现在的摆渡人。

"Our ancestral home was in Jingzhou city by the Yangtze river. When the flood struck, my grandparents fled from starvation and came here to Dashahe village," says Wan Qizhen. "The locals helped them a lot, giving them five mu (nearly 3300 meters) of farmland. My ancestors were grateful. Therefore they wanted to do something in return, something free of charge forever."

“我们老家是荆州人，是住在江边上的。涨河水了，祖辈逃荒，就逃到我们大沙河。”万其珍说，“这里的老百姓对我们祖辈很好，给我们五亩多田。我们祖辈有地种，觉得不错啊，就想在这个地方做点好事，承诺永远不收钱。”

"My grandfather built a wooden boat and ferried people here for free. He'd ferried for over 40 years. Then it's my father cover over for another 20 years. I inherited the job from my uncle, and have been doing it for 20 years."

“我的爷爷造了一只木船，就在这摆渡，义务摆渡。我的爷爷渡了四五十年，我的父亲渡了二十年，我接我叔叔的手，一直在这渡了二十多年。”

"In the old days, there was no road transport in the village, yet many people had to get to the other side. We crossed it at least 40 times per day," says Wan. "The workers, students, vendors and butchers, everyone took the ferry. Including the grooms who are going to meet the brides."

以前，村子里面没有其他路，渡河的人很多，一天大概要渡四五十趟。“那边搞生产的，上学的，卖猪羊的，都是从这个船上过，娶亲接新人去啊，都是坐这个船的。”万其珍说。

Wan is no longer young and strong, though only two families live across the river, he can still handle it for now. 

现在万其珍年纪大了，力气不如以前。幸好现在河对岸只住了两户人家，每天渡河他还应付得来。

In recent years, the number of tourists in the village grows. His son Wan Fangquan often comes to help and plans to take over his duty.

不过，近来村里的游客多了起来。万其珍的儿子万芳权现在时不时来帮他，并且准备接他的班。

Wan Fangquan used to be a migrant worker like many villagers. "The salary was good. It was the equivalent of nearly 6000 yuan per month today." However, as his old father was injured during the ferrying, he decided to give up the job and go back home to help. "We built a house using our savings and did odd jobs in the village. We also raise pigs for more income."

万芳权和许多村民一样，年轻时外出打工。“工资还可以，放到现在的话大概是五六千块钱一个月吧。” 但是，因为父亲曾经摔倒受伤，而且年纪越来越大，万芳权还是放弃了工作，回乡摆渡。“我们打工存了一点钱，回家造了房子之后，就在附近打点零工，喂几头猪补贴家用。”

Most of the time, Dashahe river is quiet, and the ferrying is easy. Although in the flood period, it turns into a dangerous rapid. "Last year, the flood broke out. My father and I were there to secure the boat with ropes. When the water receded, we pushed the boat into the river. And when the water rises quickly, we had to pull it back. We stayed up for two nights," says Wan Fangquan.

大沙河平时水流平稳，划船还算容易，但汛期就容易变得湍急危险。“去年，上面发了洪水，我跟我父亲两个人就在那里把船用绳索拉住。水一下子下去了以后，你就要把船推下去，如果水马上就上来，你要把它拉上来的，我们两天两夜在这里没睡觉。”万芳权说。

The wooden boats are easy to break. Before 2008, they had to build a new boat about every four years, as the old boats were rotten. Now they use cast iron boats which can last longer. According to Wan Fangquan, they've used about 20 boats in the past 141 years. All of those are at their own expense.

另外，船长年在水里浸泡，其实很容易坏。2008年左右之前，万家摆渡用的船都是木船，容易腐烂，三五年就得坏一只。现在都改用铁船，使用年限长一些。万芳权算了算，这141年，他们换了20多条船。这部分的费用也都是他们自己负责。

The family is always proud of one thing: "All these years, we have had zero safety accident." They never let the unskilled customers use the rod. A couple of years ago, the old ferryman Wan Qizhen saved a student who accidentally fell into the water.

摆渡了这么久，万家人还为一件事感到骄傲：“这些年来摆渡，从来没出过安全方面的事故。”坐在船上，他们绝对不让没有经验的客人撑竹竿。两三年前，万其珍还救过一个落水的学生。

"People ask me if I could make more money as a migrant worker. We don't ferry people for fame or fortune, yet the reputation is more precious. It's priceless," says Wan Fangquan.

“当然别人也有问过我，如果是在外面的话，也可能比现在家里情况要好一些，我们虽然也不是说要挣个名什么的，但是现在有的这个名誉、名声比财富还要珍贵，这个是用金钱衡量不出来的。”万芳权说。

"Ferrying is like our legacy. We shall pass it on," says Wan Qizhen. "I'm going to celebrate my 80th birthday by ferrying people." With a sense of gratitude, the family has been ferrying here for 141 years. Perhaps this is the true meaning of a promise. 

“组训传下来，我们还是继续传下去。”万其珍说。“我在这里，起码要划到80岁。” 因为祖先的报恩之念，他们家族坚守了141年，也许这就是承诺的意义。

Cameraman: Fang Zhijun

Film editor: Wang Nana, Chang Weicheng

Story written by: Zhu Siqi

English editor: Keely Stanley 

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