Duration: Approximately 4 hours

Suggested Route: Tai O’s stilt houses and main street > Sun-dried salted egg or tea cake workshop > Tai O Heritage Hotel > Tai O Lookout > Mural art at the Tai O Rural Committee Square > Tai Chung Bridge
Highlights: Tai O once played an important role in Hong Kong’s fishing industry and salt production. It was home to a large community of fisher folk, who left behind many intangible cultural heritage assets with unique local characteristics. This itinerary will immerse you in the century-old history of Tai O to learn about its past and present. It also includes fun workshops and cultural guided tours to get the whole family excited.

Picturesque Tai O Fishing Village

Tai O village nestles in the coast of Lantau Island and is situated in the westernmost tip of Hong Kong, making it a lovely escape from the bustling city.

Tai O, also known as "Venice of the East", is one of the oldest fishing villages in Hong Kong. Not only did it play an important role in the city's fishing industry and salt production, but back in the day, it was also a shipping hub. Follow our itinerary below and you'll learn all about its former glory. The journey begins at the Tai O Bus Terminus. Once you've arrived, walk towards Wing On Street and you'll be greeted by a cluster of Tai O's famous stilt houses. For generations, Tai O has been home to the Tankas, or boat people, who built homes along the shore, thus forming today's Tai O village. The design of these traditional stilt houses, built on the water, were inspired by fishing boats. The "head" of the stilt house is where the Tankas spend their day. The "body" is divided into the living room, bedroom, and the place where the deity is placed. Lastly, the "tail" is where they sun-dry salted fish and kelp, etc. When visiting Tai O, look out for the three-part architecture of the stilt houses for a glimpse into the fisher folk's wisdom. Better yet, take a sampan through the waterways for a closer look at the boardwalk between houses. Built with wooden planks and columns, these boardwalks interconnect the stilt houses, forming Tai O's unique and tightly knit community.

Cultural Workshops for a "Taste" of the Grittiness of Tai O Fishermen

For those looking to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and stories of the people here, try one of the cultural workshops led by local residents and non-profit organisations. Held in traditional stilt houses for an authentic experience, the workshops cover a range of traditional crafts, such as making sun-dried salted eggs, tea cakes, shrimp paste, and weaving fish nets. In this itinerary, we have selected two of the asier and more interactive worshops: sun-drying salted eggs and making tea cakes. Teses workshops are perfect for the whole family to learn the traditional crafts of fishermen.

As the name suggests, Tai O sun-dried salted egg yolks are made by exposing raw salted egg yolks to the sun until they're dried and the yolks change from the original yellow hue to a gright orange-red, translucent colour.

The workshop covers the technique of curing raw salted egg yolk, which is unique to Tai O. Not only can you try out the salting process, but you can also learn the origin story of this technique, and understand the wisdom of resourceful fishermen who made the most out of each duck egg: the egg white is used to soak ramie nets, making then waterproof and more durable, while the egg yolk is salted and dried, lengthening its shelf life. Today, while it's no longer common to soak fishing nets in egg white, sun-dried egg yolks are still very much appreciated and have become one of Tai O's famous foods. While some traditional last, others fade away, but the wisdom of fishermen lives on and is passed down from generation to generation.

 

Ah Ying, whose family has lived in Tai O for many generations, says, "Every craft is a reflection of the hardship faced by each generation of Tai O residents. When children join our classes, what they'll learn more than just foods. They also learn the culture and grittiness of the older generation."

Ah Ying, instructor of the tea cake worshop, says that the properity of Tai O was closely connected to its perople and community. Like other local residents of Tai O, she's doing everything she can to preserve the local culture and pass on different crafts to the next generation. She is building a career on this small island in the hope that the traditional tea cake can be promoted to the masses. Ah Ying shares the story of how Tai O fisherment would bring tea cakes to the sea, and that each tea cake represents the hardship and the struggles fisherment had to face in the endless ocean. She hopes to educate every student, especially children, on the idea that "seeing and experiencing life brings about far greater benefit than mere reading." She says that the first tea cake never turns out perfect, but as long as the students don't give up, eventually they will be able to make delicious tea cakes all by themselves. During the workshop, we recommend chatting with you instructor to get to know more about the tales and perseverance of Tai O residents, so you're not leaving with just foods, but knowledge and a positive attitude towards life.

The tea cake making technique  is on the list of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. This sweet and savoury pastry made of glutinous rice may come in sererval traditional flavours. The most popular fillings include peanuts, bean paste and black-eyed pea.

Discover the Revitalised Tai To Heritage Hotel

The Tai O Heritage Hotel stands majestically next to the pier on Tai O's Shek Tsai Po Street. Built in 1920, it was formerly the Tai O Police Station and was later listed as a Grade II historic building, before transforming into the Tai O Heritage Hotel.

After the workshop, head to Shek Tsai Po Street and walk towards the Old Tai O Public Pier. You'll soon come across a beautiful building with colonial-style architecture. This is the Tai O Heritage Hotel, formerly the Tai O Polic Station, created to guard against pirate activities in the nearby waters. It is  one of Hong Kong's earliest police stations built in an oltlying island. Ther restoration came in 2009 when Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation launched the "Revitalisation of Old Tai O Polic Station" project to transform the historic building into a hotel, operated as a not-for-profit social enterprise. This elegant building is backed by the vision to contribute to the Tai O community, and to promote the conservation of heritage buildings, eco-tourism and green living, so as to inject energy into Tai O's economy and development. As part of the itinerary, we suggest joining one of the hotel's free, regular cultural tours as a family, not just to create memorable moments, but also to bring immersive learning and edutainment into your child's lift. During the guided tour, you'll visit different areas of the hotel, learn about the original function of each room, and explore the history of both Tai O's marine police and the fishing village.

 

Tips: The hotel offers three guided tours every day, each lasting about 20 minutes. They start at 3pm, 3:30pm and 4pm respectively. Reservations are required.

In addition to the guided tour, check out the corridor where you can explore the architectural elements and take in the incredible sea view from there. 

When you're visiting the Tai O Heritage Hotel, you're highly recommended to check out Tai O Lookout, a glasshouse restaurant located on the first floor of the hotel. It was formerly the rooftop of the polic station, where you cann still see the original guard tower. The decor is elegant and rich in colonial-era colours. It has a great selection of dishes that feature Tai O ingredients and flavours, such as shrimp paste, salted fish, salted egg yolk, purlplescallop and more, giving you an authentic taste of Tai O and educational culinary journey.

Tai O Lookout is also a public art platform that exhibits many creative artworks by local artists.

The crowd favourite is none other than the home-made pork chop bun marinated with Tai O shrimp paste. It comes with fries and overflows with Tai O flavours. 

Last Vestiage of the Fishing Village CultureThe 3D mural at the Tai O Rural Committee Square features the waterways of the Tai O Fishing Village.

As you leave the Tai O Heritage Hotel and head back the way you came, you will notice a few eye-catching murals by the Tai O Cultural Association, the stilt houses on Shek Tsai Po Street Shack, and the waterfront bus terminus. These are part of the public art programme ArtWalk@Tai O. These three-dimensional murals integrate art, culture, and everyday lift on Tai O's waterways, allowing visitors to imagine the daily life of Tai O's fishermen and see the beauty and tranquillity of this fishing village. Strike a pose in front ot these stunning artworks and capture a few memorable moments with the family!

The Tai Chung Bridge is the main bridge connecting the two sides of Tai O. It's also a must-visit landmark.

The final stop is the famous Tai Chung Bridge in Tai O. To get the best view, stand in the middle of the bridge to admire both the waterways and the horizon. If you're lucky, you may even see a fishing boat or two pass under the bridge, drawing the perfect end to this cultural trip. While Tai O's most properous days are now behind it, this half-day trip showcases both the history and culture of the quaint Tai O Fishing Village and certainly offers you a different perspective of Lantau Island.

 

How to Get to Tai O

From the Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus, hop on bus 11 and get off at the Tai O Bus  Terminus.