Tai O () is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of

Lantau Island Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao or Lan Tau) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located west of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the ...

in Hong Kong. The village name means ''large

inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...

'', referring to outlet for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai O River) merges as it moves through Tai O.

Geography

On the southwest part of

, Tai O River splits to the north (as Tai O Creek) and west and at this fork lies the island referred to as Tai O. Two pedestrian bridges cross the river on its northern and western forks. The village is located mostly on the banks of the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

. The western and northern parts of the island facing the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

are uninhabited.

History

Nearby archaeological sites date back to the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

, but permanent, and verifiable,

human settlement In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community of people living in a particular location, place. The complexity of a settlement can range from a minuscule number of Dwelling, dwellings gro ...

here is only three centuries old. Stories that would be impossible to substantiate have Tai O as the base of many

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

and

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

operations, the inlets of the river providing excellent protection from the weather and a hiding place. In early 16th century, Tai O was once occupied shortly by Portuguese during the Battle of Tamão, the remains is known as Fan Kwai Tong (番鬼塘, "Foreign devil pond") today. Tai O is one of five villages of Lantau that were resettled when the coastal restriction of the

Great Clearance The Great Clearance (), also translated as the Great Evacuation or Great Frontier Shift, was caused by edicts issued in 1661, 1664, and 1679, which required the evacuation of the coastal areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangnan, and Shando ...

was lifted in 1669. The other villages are Tung Sai Chung, Lo Pui O,

Shek Pik Shek Pik () is an area located along the southwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. When the Shek Pik Reservoir was built, villages at Shek Pik were demolished and the villagers were relocated to other parts of Lantau Island and to Tsuen ...

and

Mui Wo Mui Wo is a rural town on the eastern coast of Lantau Island in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong. The 2011 Census recorded 5,485 people living in Mui Wo and its environs. Mui Wo (English: Mui Wo), formerly known as Mei Wo or Mei Wei (Cantonese: ...

. At nearby Fan Lau, a fort was built in 1729 to protect shipping on the

Pearl River The Pearl River (, or ) is an extensive river system in southern China. "Pearl River" is often also used as a catch-all for the watersheds of the Pearl tributaries within Guangdong, specifically the Xi ('west'), Bei ('north'), and Dong ( ...

. Smuggling of guns, tobacco, drugs and

people The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

remains a documented illegal activity both into and out of

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

. When the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

came to Hong Kong, Tai O was known as a

Tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the influential poetry anthology (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to disti ...

village. A naval engagement between British and USA naval forces against Chinese piracy was fought in 1855. At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Shek Tsai Po of Tai O was 118; the number of males was 71. The population of Tai O, both land and boat based, was 7,661; the number of males was 4,318. During and after the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, Tai O became a primary entrypoint for

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

for those escaping from the People's Republic of China. Some of these immigrants, mostly

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

, stayed in Tai O, and Tai O attracted people from other Hong Kong ethnic groups, including Hoklo (Hokkien) and

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

. Tai O has a history of

salt production In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as ro ...

. In 1940, it was recorded that the Tai O

salt marsh A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...

es were covering and that the production has amounted to 25,000

picul The picul , shi (), dan or tam, is a traditional Asian unit of weight, defined as "as much as a man can carry on a shoulder-pole". Throughout most of Chinese history, it was defined as equivalent to 120 catties. Some later definitions (Briti ...

s (1,512

metric tons The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the sh ...

) in 1938. Currently the fishing lifestyle is dying out. While many residents continue to fish, it barely provides a subsistence income. There is a public school on the island and most young people move away when they come of age. In 2000, a large fire broke out destroying many residences. The village is now mostly squatters huts and dilapidated stilt houses.

Points of interest

1 tai o fishing village hong kong 2015 panorama

Heritage

Graded buildings in Tai O include:List of the Historic Buildings in Building Assessment (as of 17 December 2012)
/ref> * Yeung Hau Temple, built in 1699 ( Declared monument) * Old Tai O Police Station (

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

) * Kwan Tai Temple, Kat Hing Back Street. Built in 1741. (Grade II) * Tin Hau Temple, Kat Hing Back Street. Built in 1772, it is connected to the left of Kwan Tai Temple. * Fong Bin Yuen. (Grade III) * No. 23 Kat Hing Back Street. (Grade III) * Shek Lun Kok, No. 33 Kat Hing Back Street. (Grade III) * No. 46-48 Kat Hing Street, pre-war shophouses. (Grade III) * Wing Hing Petrol Station, No. 99C Kat Hing Back Street. (Grade III) Other historical buildings include: * Hip Wo Se Hok, No. 151 Tai Ping Street, a former school. * Hung Shing Temple, Shek Tsai Po Street. Built in 1746.

Tourism

Also known as the "Venice of Hong Kong", Tai O is a tourist spot for both foreigners and residents of other parts of Hong Kong, despite damage by a fire in July 2000. The ''

pang uk ''Pang uk'' () is a kind of stilt house found in Tai O, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. ''Pang uk'' are built on water or on small beaches. A fire broke out in 2000 destroying some of the houses in Tai O, and some were later rebuilt. They were onc ...

s'', a kind of

stilt house Stilt houses (also called pile dwellings or lake dwellings) are houses raised on Stilts (architecture), stilts (or piles) over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding; they als ...

, built right over the waterway are still quite scenic. A

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

tended by local women used to be quite popular with visitors, but it was replaced with a steel pedestrian bridge in October 1996. The traditional salted fish and

shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...

are sold at storefronts in Tai O. For a small fee, some residents will take tourists out on their boats along the river and for short jaunts into the sea. Many tourists come to Tai O specifically to take these trips to see Chinese white dolphins, also known as "Pink Dolphins". It is also a good place to see the sunset. Old Tai O Police Station, a Grade II historic building, has been turned into a boutique hotel called ''Tai O Heritage Hotel'' by Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation. The hotel has nine rooms and a restaurant. The hotel has been open and operational since 2012. Tai O Rural Committee Historic and Cultural Showroom, located within the centuries-old fishing village of Tai O, exhibits relics of the local community's past, including fishing tools and dismantled old structures. The showroom was founded by the Tai O Rural Committee and all the items in its collection were donated by local residents.

Education

There are two kindergartens, one primary school and one secondary school. They are CCC Tai O Primary School and Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College. Most of Lantau Island, Tai O included, is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 98, which contains multiple aided schools on Lantau Island, including two in Tung Chung; no government primary schools are in this net.

Transport

Tai O can be reached by bus ( New Lantau Bus) from the following places: *

– Bus no. 1 * Tung Chung – Bus no. 11 *

Ngong Ping Ngong Ping () is a highland in the western part of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It hosts Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha amidst the hills which is about 34 m tall. There are several hills nearby which are also an attraction to tourists. It is ...

– Bus no. 21 There are ferry piers on Tai O, close to Tai O Bus Terminus. It operates daily as the following routes connecting Tai O: *

Tuen Mun Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...

( Tuen Mun Ferry Pier) – service by

Fortune Ferry Fortune Ferry Company Ltd, more commonly known as Fortune Ferry (), is a ferry operator in Hong Kong. It is based in North Point. Routes The company operates the following ferry routes: * Tuen Mun to Tung Chung, Sha Lo Wan, and Tai O * North ...

* Tung Chung ( Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier) – service by

* Sha Lo Wan – operated by

People

* Cilla Kung, actress and singer; was born and raised in Tai O.

In popular culture

A 1998 Hong Kong drama '' A Place of One's Own'' by

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong. The company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Canton ...

starring Adia Chan and Mariane Chan is set in Tai O. A 2021 Hong Kong drama '' Ossan's Love'' by

ViuTV ViuTV is a Cantonese language Generalist channel, general entertainment television channel in Hong Kong operated by HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE), whose parent company PCCW also operates the IPTV platform Now TV (Hong Kong), Now TV and the ...

starring Edan Lui and Anson Lo is set in Tai O.

References

External links