Relive Hong Kong’s salt-making past at Unesco-recognised area as part of the Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival
- A salt-making workshop on Yim Tin Tsai island is part of a festival programme of guided tours, performances, talks and art showcases spread across four islands
- On High Island, villagers will demonstrate the Kirin traditional dance, while kayaking is among the activities on offer at Sharp Island
Yim Tin Tsai, a tiny island south of the Sai Kung peninsula, was once a thriving Hakka community where fishing and hunting were part of daily life.
It also produced salt – Yim Tin Tsai literally means “little salt pan” in Cantonese – a commodity in high demand for preserving food before the advent of refrigeration.
But things turned sour about a century ago when cheap salt imported from Vietnam and China forced residents to move in search of better opportunities, the final few leaving the island around 1998.
At the beginning of 2000, steps were taken to revive the island’s salt pans, and the area transformed into an educational hub and eco-tourism destination that would later receive Unesco recognition.
To shine a light on the island’s past, a Salt Making Workshop will be held there on November 19 and December 22, as part of the Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival.
Taking place from November 15 to January 14, the festival – a celebration of arts, culture and nature with community engagement at its core – is organised by the Tourism Commission and curated by One Bite Design Studio, with support from Hong Kong Geopark.
