With a population of 22,000, the Jing ethnic group lives on a peninsula in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region adjacent to the waters of Vietnam.

In today's On the Road, we are going to visit Wanwei Village in the southern-most part of the peninsula. Here's our guide Ning Yan.

The Jing ethnic group claims they migrated to China from Vietnam 500 years ago before they settled on the peninsula known as the Jing Islands in southern Guangxi.

They have traditionally sustained themselves with a fishing economy, coupled with some farming and salt production industries.

Wanwei Village is located on the southernmost part of the peninsula.

Residential buildings line both sides of the main roads in the village. Family cars are parked outside many buildings.

Village roads extend in all directions and the local transport industry busily ferries fish and shrimp to the markets for trade.

Head of the Wanwei village committee, Su Mingfang, explains how the group migrated and settled there 500 years ago.

"In 1511, our ancestors came here when they chased after a shoal of fish. They found that this was a great fishing zone so they settled down and lived here ever since."

Su Mingfang says it was a very poor village two decades ago. The residents had to catch fish and travel long distances through the mountains to trade their wares with others for food.

"The village was an isolated island in the 1970s. People had to wait until the tide ebbed before they could set out for the markets. Transportation was very difficult then."

Su Mingfang says life began to change two decades ago when the central government adopted the reform and opening up policy to improve people's living standards.

Local living standards dramatically improved as the village discovered numerous sources of income like fishing and aquaculture, as well as processing and trade.

Once they became more affluent, the villagers also adopted modern lifestyles. But the Jing people still worship their traditional gods and ancestors.

Most of the 22,000 Jing people live on the peninsula, but the rest can be found all over China. They gather every year for the traditional Changha Festival in June.

During the festival, people congregate in Wanwei Village to worship the gods and their ancestors at the Hating Pavilion, a white walled building adorned with red tiles at the village entrance. It is very characteristic of Jing architecture.

The most popular activity during the festival is Changha, or singing songs.

That was the Ha song. The villagers sang it when offering sacrifices to their gods and ancestors.

Village head Su Mingfang explains how the festival originated.

"Shortly after our ancestors settled here, they were out fishing and a rainstorm struck. They had to go to the island of Wanwei to shelter from the storm.

July 10th is the date when they completed the construction of the first Hating, the pavilion. So they named the day Changha Festival."

According to local customs, only the most beautiful and the most talented singers are chosen to sing the Ha song in the pavilion.

Fifty-year-old Huang Yuying is the oldest of the five Ha singers in the village. She is considered the best singer of the ethnic group.

This is Huang Yuying singing the Ha song to the accompaniment of the single-stringed fiddle, the unique musical instrument of the ethnic group.

Twenty-two-year-old Zhao Xia is a talented master of the instrument.

"There are three main parts on the single-stringed instrument. It is 80 centimetre long and shaped like an oblong box. As its name implies, it has only one string on it. The player holds the fiddle in their right hand and plucks the string with a tiny piece of bamboo in their left hand. The instrument is usually played during the Changha Festival as an accompanying instrument, but it's also good for solo pieces."

This piece is called "Crossing the Bridge", one of the classic folk songs of the group. Other popular melodies include "High Mountains, Flowing Streams", and "Riding on a Horse".

Village head Su Mingfang says the local government invests money every year to encourage young people to learn Ha singing and their other traditions.

"To preserve the ethnic traditions and culture, the local government spends a large amount of money every year to train singers and players. In addition, a Jing ethnic cultural base is currently being built."

Besides the Changha Festival, Dragnet is another popular activity of the Jing People. The fishing net is usually 1,000 meters long, weighing 2,000 kilograms, and costing 10,000 yuan. More than 30 people cast the net in the sea in the morning. The whole process is usually finished by noon and the catch is divided by everyone who takes part in the activity.

Shen Aidong is an official wtih the county government. He says Dragnet has become entertainment rather than a method to make a living.

"In Dragnet, everyone works together and shares the catch. The Jing group used to make a living by fishing for generations. But recently, great changes have taken place in the frame of their economy. Trade and tourism across the border has grown, and Dragnet has become an important form of entertainment for the Jings."

Living near the sea and on the border of the country, the Jings use the advantages of the location to develop the aquatics and fishing industries. Their income has increased greatly.