Tai O is a fishing town located on an island of the same name, on the west side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. One of the few existing fishing villages in Hong Kong, Tai O is home to the Tanka people, a community of fisher folk who have built their houses on stilts on the two sides of a narrow creek. These interconnected stilt huts are places where villagers carry out their daily chores (at the front end) and dry salted fish and seaweed (at the rear end). The unique landscape of a traditional fishing village has earned Tai O the monicker ‘Venice of Hong Kong’. Tai O is home to an archaeological salt pan site, which can be traced back to the Stone Age, though permanent and verifiable human settlement here is only three centuries old. Tai O boasts a long history. In the early 16th century, Tai O was once occupied shortly by the Portuguese, who built it into a supply base referred to by local villagers as Fan Kwai Tong. The name is still in use today.
Small as it is, the fishing village is home to a number of heritage buildings, including centuries-old temples and graded historic buildings like NO. 2 and No. 4 Tai O Market Street (Grade II) and Tai O Charity Hospital (Grade III), as well as to burial ground, the original site of Lee Kum Kee and North Lantau Stone Obelisk. In 2011, the Dragon Boat Water Parade of Tai O was inscribed on China’s third national list of intangible cultural heritage.
Suggested Route:
1. Take Bus No. 11 at MTR Tung Chung Station or a ferry at Tuen Mun Ferry Pier to Tung Chung/Tai O.
2. Visit mudflats, wetlands & Tai O Cultural and Ecological Integrated Resource Centre > See mangroves, mudskippers and fiddler crabs > Pedestrian Bridge over Sea > Tai O Heritage Hotel> See the Chinese White Dolphin & stilt huts > View the Sunset.
3. Take Bus No. 11 at MTR Tung Chung Station or a ferry at Tuen Mun Ferry Pier to Tung Chung/Tai O ＞ Yi O
After Tai O, you can also take the time to join a guided tour organized by Yi O Farmers’ Cooperative, if you have booked a place in advance. For details, please see:
http://www.yio.com.hk/About/
