1. The History
Tai O is a fishing town, located on western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong, The traditional stilted fishing village is one of five major areas of settlement on the island and takes its name from the Chinese for “large inlet”, and is located predominantly on the banks of the river.
The site shows evidence of inhabitation that stretches right back to the Stone Age, although the main habitation of the area has been over the last 300 years. Folklore cites Tai O as the centre for frequent smuggling and piracy operations, including guns, tobacco and drugs. It’s close proximity to Macao explains why the area was subject to Portuguese occupation in the 1700s.
To the south at Fan Lau, a fort was built in 1729 to protect shipping on the Pearl River. In 1911 census, the population of Tai O was 7,661. During the Chinese civil war Tai O was a major entry point for those escaping from the People's Republic of China. The nearby salt marshes covering 70 acres became a base for salt production in the 1930s, which along with fishing was the major occupation of Tai O’s residence. The village has suffered depopulation over recent decades as younger generations saw their livelihood elsewhere in HK. Aerial picture from 1963:
[Above picture licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0]
In 2000, a large fire broke out destroying many of the wooden-built stilt huts. Some have been rebuilt and the island also now relies on day-tripping HK tourists to supplement the local economy. The village boasts nine Grade 2/3 listed buildings including temples, its former police station, residences and shop houses.
2. The Explore
A quick break from military site reports from my recent Hong Kong jaunt. Every time I come to HK, at some point, I end up in Tai O and have a walk round this lovely former fishing village on the east tip of HK’s biggest island. Last year’s report is HERE.
There isn’t one single site that merits a report in its own right, so it’s always a case of it being a collection of smaller bits of dereliction. Not too much has changed since last year. Most places I saw last time are still there, one bit has been demolished, one place has now been restored plus I found a few other new bits and bobs, hence this report.
3. The Pictures
Starting off with this former shop that is now being restored and turned into a community centre:
This place hasn’t been so lucky and is falling down:
Found this place for the first time last year so went back to have another look:
It’s just used for storing/dumping stuff now:
The room fan no longer appears to be working:
This concrete carbuncle is an old friend. I’ve now found out that it was build circa 1973 and that it was a funeral directors. I’ve been here many times and very little changes:
There’s a variety of junk left lying around:
And these boxes were here last time, but I never looked inside:
This time I did:
They were full of core samples and minerals:
Which was nice:
Tai O is a fishing town, located on western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong, The traditional stilted fishing village is one of five major areas of settlement on the island and takes its name from the Chinese for “large inlet”, and is located predominantly on the banks of the river.
The site shows evidence of inhabitation that stretches right back to the Stone Age, although the main habitation of the area has been over the last 300 years. Folklore cites Tai O as the centre for frequent smuggling and piracy operations, including guns, tobacco and drugs. It’s close proximity to Macao explains why the area was subject to Portuguese occupation in the 1700s.
To the south at Fan Lau, a fort was built in 1729 to protect shipping on the Pearl River. In 1911 census, the population of Tai O was 7,661. During the Chinese civil war Tai O was a major entry point for those escaping from the People's Republic of China. The nearby salt marshes covering 70 acres became a base for salt production in the 1930s, which along with fishing was the major occupation of Tai O’s residence. The village has suffered depopulation over recent decades as younger generations saw their livelihood elsewhere in HK. Aerial picture from 1963:
[Above picture licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0]
In 2000, a large fire broke out destroying many of the wooden-built stilt huts. Some have been rebuilt and the island also now relies on day-tripping HK tourists to supplement the local economy. The village boasts nine Grade 2/3 listed buildings including temples, its former police station, residences and shop houses.
2. The Explore
A quick break from military site reports from my recent Hong Kong jaunt. Every time I come to HK, at some point, I end up in Tai O and have a walk round this lovely former fishing village on the east tip of HK’s biggest island. Last year’s report is HERE.
There isn’t one single site that merits a report in its own right, so it’s always a case of it being a collection of smaller bits of dereliction. Not too much has changed since last year. Most places I saw last time are still there, one bit has been demolished, one place has now been restored plus I found a few other new bits and bobs, hence this report.
3. The Pictures
Starting off with this former shop that is now being restored and turned into a community centre:
This place hasn’t been so lucky and is falling down:
Found this place for the first time last year so went back to have another look:
It’s just used for storing/dumping stuff now:
The room fan no longer appears to be working:
This concrete carbuncle is an old friend. I’ve now found out that it was build circa 1973 and that it was a funeral directors. I’ve been here many times and very little changes:
There’s a variety of junk left lying around:
And these boxes were here last time, but I never looked inside:
This time I did:
They were full of core samples and minerals:
Which was nice:
