In the early 1980s, some barges in the Pearl River waters were transformed into "seafood boats". On the bank of Dashatou, Guangzhou, an antique "Longmen Seafood Ship" operated by Hong Kong businessmen appeared, which became a beautiful scenery in Guangzhou after the reform and opening up. Next to the Dashiqiao Bridge in Panyu, there is also a "Treasure" water restaurant that looks like the Dragon Palace. In my memory, these are the two most gorgeous barges on the Pearl River.
At that time, a peasant barge fishing boat with colorful flags floated high under the big iron bridge in the stable in western Guangdong, with fresh seafood as the signboard and "eat seafood to the stable" as the advertising slogan, which attracted countless diners from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for a while.
By the end of 1980s, most barges along the Pearl River stopped operating, and they were eliminated and scrapped as their final destinations. Besides, from the perspective of the safety of modern ships, barges are not a safe place.
On the Pearl River, although people have used barges for more than 100 years, the design and construction have never been included in the specification. Boats are mostly products of informal manufacturers, and all indicators do not meet the requirements of ship inspection.
In addition, when the Pearl River flood season comes, barges may break down or break cables. Once drifting with the waves, barges without power devices and unable to save themselves can easily hit flood control dams or piers, causing accidents. This kind of thing has happened many times in the upper and lower reaches of the Pearl River.
In addition, once the barge catches fire, it is difficult to put it out. Many such disasters have occurred on barges in the Pearl River and Hong Kong waters, causing heavy casualties and property losses.
In 1990s, once brilliant barges gradually disappeared in the Pearl River.