Boat with Black Awning (乌篷船 Wupeng Chuan)

The boat, covered with an awning that is woven with thin bamboo strips and painted shiny black, is a traditional means of water transportation peculiar to Shaoxing, a water-bound place in south China.

It is small of capacity, four metres long and one metre wide, and divided into three cabins. The floor of the passenger cabin is paved with red-lacquered wooden planks.

What is interesting about this tiny boat is that the oarsman may sit down and lean his back against a tiny cushion while manoeuvring a pair of oars with his feet.

On a cold winter day oarsmen are often seen with hands tucked in the warmth of the sleeves of their coats while their feet keep pedalling the oars to keep their boats sailing smooth and fast.