Shaped by the sea

More instances of family ties in the documentary series include an elderly fisherman diving to catch lobsters with his bare hands to make a delicacy for his young granddaughter; a father joining dozens of local villagers at 2 am to catch sea fish in Guangdong province; and a veteran sailor, who has worked on the sea for nearly 50 years, netting shrimp to make a special type of sauce for his grandson, who he has not seen for some time.

Aside from these heartwarming moments, the documentary also captures some breathtaking scenes, featuring industrious fisherfolk facing off against raging waves to extract their harvest from the rough sea.

The second episode shows a 58-year-old female villager alongside two friends, both almost 70, climbing slippery rocks on the Zhoushan Islands in East China's Zhejiang province. With the villager's husband piloting a small boat nearby to monitor weather changes, the women cautiously catch Capitulum mitella (a type of barnacles attached to rocky cracks), with no protective garments. A big wave could easily sweep them into the water, hence they rely on the man to retrieve them with the boat.

As an effort to reexamine the relationship between humans and nature through such stories, Chen says modern city life has resulted in young viewers knowing less about primitive and traditional fishing methods.

"The domestic audience will discover that most seafood is not easy to get, despite some being commonly seen on dining tables. We also want the audience to learn more about how our ancestors lived and their courage and intelligence, which allowed them to survive and thrive in nature," he says.