Editor’s Note: Bifengtang used to be a narrow strip of water where fishing boats took shelter to escape typhoons and a temporary resting place for people leading a wandering life.

Located close to the commercial center, the place saw more and more fishermen from remote areas settle in, attracted by the amenities of modern life. That is when the ships became their home and Bifengtang became a floating village in the port city of Zhanjiang.

The rapid development of the city has made spaces near the coastline come at a premium. Bifengtang’s disappearance was inevitable when a property developer planned to construct a Fisherman’s Wharf for yachting and leisure activities.

Some scenes will soon to be gone forever, but photographs taken by local photographer Liang Zhibing over a timespan of more than a dozen of years, documented them with sincerity.