Efforts by campaigner have reduced pollution and raised awareness

Cai Jiajian cuts a tough and legendary figure like The Old Man and the Sea. Yet unlike the fisherman in Ernest Hemingway's novel, he doesn't fight alone. Cai has the support of hundreds.

The 69-year-old native of Dongdawan in Fujian province has been cleaning up the beaches of his hometown since 2014. Along with his army of volunteers he has removed hundreds of tons of garbage from the shore.

"I have grown up and lived near water my entire life. People here earn a living from the sea. The sea is like our mother," Cai said, speaking in the Minnan dialect of southern Fujian.

Xiangzhi county, where Cai was born and raised, has 13.5 kilometers of coastline and is famous for its fishing industry.

Dongdawan means "Bay in the East" and was once a clean and quiet 1-km beach. Yet in recent years, sea currents and ocean pollution have degraded it into a dumping ground, with piles of marine debris washed up on the sand.

"You can't imagine," Cai said. "An endless tide of refuse including household garbage, fishing and construction waste piled up along the coast, stinking with a fishy odor."