Zhuangniyu Mudfish Trapping Custom

The Zhuangniyu (mudfish-trapping) custom is a tidal-flat fishing skill and folk tradition handed down in coastal Doumen, where wide mudflats teem with mudskippers (nìyú).

Working with the tides, fishers lay out bamboo cages and woven traps across the mudflats, using the mudskippers' habits to lure them in. The whole craft—making the gear, setting it, and harvesting—follows careful know-how.

As a national-level item of intangible cultural heritage, the custom embodies Doumen people's understanding of the mudflat ecosystem and their working wisdom, a living witness to Lingnan coastal fishing culture.

The traps and techniques of mudfish-catching can be explored at Doumen's heritage exhibition spaces and related folk-experience activities.