The last handmade wooden boat in Taicang

A common mode of transportation for fishermen living in rural areas south of the Yangtze River in the past, canoes are a rare sight nowadays.

The 68-year-old Gao Dabao is said to be the last person in Taicang, Jiangsu province with the carpentry skill and knowledge of how to make wooden canoes.

Before Gao can set to work constructing a boat, he first has to select the right wood. His preferred material to work with is timber from fir trees measuring between 70 and 80 centimeters in diameter.

The trickiest part in building a boat is bending the wooden slats that form the hull into shape to allow the boat to balance in the water. To make this happen, Gao uses strings and other tools to shape the bottom boards bit by bit to the right curve.

To offer convenience to his clients - mostly of whom come from the nearby cities of Suzhou, Changshu, Kunshan and Shanghai – the boats are built with sliding cabin doors and movable cover plates.

Gao cuts and polishes every wooden board without the use of blueprints. Years of practice have taught Gao every intricacy he needs to know about the craft.

Nails used for building boats are also made by Gao himself due to a lack of market supply. Some of the nails are made without heads, while some are sharpened at both ends and some measure nearly 10 centimeters in length.

Gao Dabao holds a nail that he made himself for boat building. [Photo from Taicang Daily]