Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The Venice of Hong Kong

Per the illustrious and undeniably accurate internet go-to entitled Wikipedia, the following information was gathered about the tiny island-town of Tai O, located on the southwestern tip of Lantau Island.
"When the British came to Hong Kong, Tai O was known as Tanka village. During and after the Chinese Civil War, Tai O became a primary entry point for illegal immigration for those escaping from the People's Republic of China. Some of these immigrants, mostly Han Chinese, stayed in Tai O, and Tai O attracted people from other Hong Kong ethic groups." 
The villagers who were primarily fishermen, and have lived for years in wood stilt houses, are now opting to leave for the big city when they come of age. Fishing, unfortunately, doesn't provide the income it once did. But the older generation hold strong, and keep the town alive.




1 comment:

Patti said...

As much as I love your pictures and experiences, learning something I never knew before about a place, or people is one of my favorite parts of your blog.