China may be changing at a rapid rate, but the Tujia trackers of Hubei Province are keeping one tradition alive. Christina Pfeiffer reports

A solitary rowing boat glides along the river, dwarfed by the massive limestone cliffs that rise majestically out of the water. Dramatic peaks stretch to the sky, creating vast natural gorges, while bright green plants growing in cracks along the cliff face reflect a glassy, grey-green hue on the surface of the water.

It is a scene from a classical Chinese painting and one that is typical along the Shennong tributary of the Yangtze River. The world’s third longest river, the Yangtze snakes its way 6,300km across China from its highest point in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau all the way to the East China Sea. The Shennong tributary, which joins the Yangtze in the western part of Hubei province in the area known as the Three Gorges, has sections where the water is so clear you can see pebbles lying on the riverbed.

Wang Min Hu, 55, stands at the back of our boat wielding a long bamboo pole. Dressed in a khaki polo shirt, grey under-pants and home-made rice-straw sandals, he uses the pole to steer our boat along the river as members of his team push the wooden craft through the shallows. Two men are pushing from behind, knee-deep in the water, while three others are scrambling along a towpath, a rough rocky ledge cut by hand over many generations, pulling the vessel forward with coarse bamboo ropes tied around their waists. Like his colleagues, Wang is lean and wiry on account of years of hard labour; his skin leathery and brown from continuous exposure to the sun.

Before the invention of the internal combustion engine, the Yangtze River trackers toiled along towpaths, hauling large ships and junks along shallow sections of the river. Thousands of workers died cutting these towpaths, which are narrow man-made ledges that run for several kilometres along the cliffs, as many sections required workers to balance precariously on the side of a sheer edge, where one misstep could plunge a person into the swirling current. As recently as 15 years ago, the trackers worked without a stitch of clothing. As many as 300 men would strip naked and band together to pull a large ship through the river against the current. They shed their clothes for purely practical reasons, as the rough fabrics chafed their skin and the wet clothes were a sure source of chills.

The era of the internal combustion engine, followed by the recent flooding of the Yangtze River, meant there were no more ships to haul. Trackers continue to work in the shallow backwaters, however, though nowadays they haul tourists rather than supplies. They no longer work naked, either – instead they are modestly attired in T-shirts, shorts and/or pants.

Visitors can board ferries at Badong, a town of 50,000 people, and travel to the mouth of the Shennong tributary, where trackers wait with large wooden skiffs known as peapod boats. These seat 10 passengers and are fitted out with life jackets. Six trackers, each owning a share in the craft, work together. The boats are ancient, hand-made vessels built by master craftsmen and are able to withstand surging river torrents. The captain commands and steers the vessel, the second in charge is the navigator who steers the boat, while four trackers provide the force required to push and pull the craft.

On top of the 40 yuan ($5) per trip that each boatman takes home, he receives a share of tips. It is a tough living and a job that supplements other seasonal work such as farming and fishing. Corn, oranges and potatoes are grown and sold at local markets. All the boatmen are members of the Tujia, a minority group descended from the Ba people, who lived in these mountains thousands of years ago. The Ba left a legacy of mysterious hanging coffins, wooden burial boxes in which village elders were laid to rest in caves up to 30m up among the cliffs. No one knows how the boxes got there. The language, traditional folk music and customs of the Tujia are distinct from the mainstream Chinese Han race. These river boat people practise a number of odd customs, including a marriage ritual in which an engaged girl is required to cry and wail continuously for 15 days as a mark of respect for her parents. Girls as young as 10 years old practise wailing. Another custom is to conduct a festive song and dance ritual for three days when a close friend or family member dies.

The oldest tracker is 74, the youngest 17. ‘These days the young people aren’t flocking to become trackers like they used to,’ Wang says. The advancement of technology, telecommunications and transportation has contributed to this change, as many of the young Tujia go to the cities to improve their education instead of taking up tracking. Many are training to become teachers and English-speaking guides and earning salaries far greater than their forebears. In comparison, a teacher could earn up to 2,000 yuan ($250) per month, a doctor 5,000 yuan per month and an English-speaking guide 500 yuan per month, plus 3,000 yuan in tips during a good season.

Nevertheless, the position as a peapod boat captain is highly respected among the Tujia and most boatmen are not considered ready to lead until they have served as a tracker for at least 10 years. ‘To become a captain, I had to undergo many days of difficult testing over dangerous rapids,’ says Wang.

Singing is also an important tradition and the songs of the Tujia boatmen are hauntingly melancholic. As we end our journey, Wang breaks out into a lingering song about a farm-er’s life in the countryside.

Now that the 2009 completion of the final stages of the Three Gorges Dam project is looming, the water level of the Yangtze River continues to rise. The Chinese government is on the way to taming this flood-prone waterway, which has both sustained and ravaged China’s people (Yangtze floods killed over 300,000 in the past century). As a result of this project, 630sq km of farmland, two cities, 11 counties, 116 towns, 1,200 villages and a number of ancient shrines, fortresses and caves have been swallowed up.

Fortunately for the remaining trackers, the shallow waters of the Shennong will continue to provide the opportunity for them to demonstrate their skills. Singing as they paddle, these wiry men are a happy bunch. They may be poor by Western standards, but as you watch them you may conclude that true happiness comes from the simple things in life.

THREE GORGES DAM FACTS AND FIGURES

1993: work begins on the dam.
2003: the reservoir reaches 135m in depth and the first generator begins to produce power.
2009: date when the entire project is due to be fully operational. The reservoir level will then be at 175m above sea level.
85 billion kilowatts: the amount of electricity that the dam’s 26 turbines will be capable of generating at full capacity. A further 10 underground turbines are planned to come online in 2010.
27 million cubic metres: the amount of concrete used to build the dam and locks.
281,000 tons: the total amount of metal used on the project.
1.4 million: the number of people who have been relocated to date as a result of the project.
$32.8 billion: the expected final cost of the dam.