I also think this is an excellent photograph. I went to Yangshao in 2001 and I don't have any pictures of the fishermen as good as this!
pbizarro - to reiterate Michaels point, much of travel (and dicumentary) photography is not about spontenaity at all....many more shots are "set up" than most people realise. Waiting for the moment is fine for a hobbyist on holiday, but for working pros they set up shots all the time. That's just how you make sure you get the shot.
As with Kevin, I would be curious to understand people's thoughts about this kind of thing...and how they have gone about it themselves.
Julian