Yim Tin Tsai (Sai Kung District)
Native name: Chinese: 鹽田梓／鹽田仔; lit. 'Little Salt Pan' | |
|---|---|
St. Joseph's Chapel on Yim Tin Tsai | |
Yim Tin Tsai | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Port Shelter, Sai Kung District, Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | 22°22′39″N 114°18′11″E / 22.3775°N 114.303174°E |
| Administration | |
Hong Kong SAR | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1+ (2013) |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
Yim Tin Tsai (or Yim Tin Tze, Chinese: 鹽田梓／鹽田仔; lit. 'Little Salt Pan') is an offshore island in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong. It is also the only salt production location in Hong Kong.[1] The island was once abandoned but became a tourist attraction following conservation efforts.
Geography
The island has an area of 24 hectares (49 acres).[2] It is located in Port Shelter, the harbour located south of Sai Kung Peninsula and east of the Sai Kung mainland.[3] It is connected by a breakwater in its southern part to the larger island of Kau Sai Chau.[4]
The smaller islands of Shek Chau and Kwun Cham Wan are located off the coast of Yim Tin Tsai, in the northwest and the southwest respectively.
Administration
Yim Tin Tsai is a recognised village under the New Territories Small House Policy.[5]
History
Archaeological excavation reveals the island dates from the Eastern Han dynasty circa 100 CE. The island was settled by members of the Hakka[6] Chan (陳) clan during the 19th century[6][7][8] (other sources mention 300 years ago[9]). The Chans came from Yim Tin (鹽田; pinyin: Yántián), now part of the Yantian District of Shenzhen. The new settlement was called Yim Tin Tsai in its memory.[10] Other members of the clan settled in Yim Tin Tsai in Tai Po and Ping Yeung, in Ta Kwu Ling, North District.[8] At its peak, Yim Tin Tsai had 500 inhabitants.[11]
Villagers lived on farming, fishing and salt-making. They farmed 6 acres (24,000 m2) of salt pan, the smallest of the five salt pans in Hong Kong at the time.[6] Other salt pans were in Tai O, Lantau Island, San Hui and Wong Ka Wai in Tuen Mun, Yim Liu Ha in Sha Tau Kok and Yim Tin Tsai in Tai Po.[8]
Baptism of the island's residents started in 1866,[7] and by 1875, all villagers on the island were baptised.[6][9] In 1879 a chapel was set up by Joseph Freinademetz (who was canonised in 2003).[9]
In 1890, the St. Joseph's Chapel was inaugurated.[12]
Facing stiff competition from salt producers in Mainland China and Vietnam, salt production on the island dwindled. In the 1920s, there was no sign of salt production on Yim Tin Tsai.[1]
In the 1960s, the island has around 200 residents, all of them are Catholics.[13]
In the early 1970s, the St. Joseph's Chapel became derelict as villagers gradually moved out of the island.[14]
Ching Po School, the village school, closed down in the 1990s owing to a lack of students.[6]
In 1998, the last resident on the island moved out and Yim Tin Tsai became an abandoned island.[15]
In 2011, the committee of Yim Tin Tsai village and Sacred Heart Church Sai Kung established the Salt & Light Preservation Centre, a charity created for the conservation of the village.[16] Villagers and the Catholic Church donated 6 million Hong Kong dollars for the project.[17]
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on 17 March 2013 after the village was given approval to revitalise its abandoned salt pan. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and then Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong Dominic Chan officiated the ceremony.[18]
In 2022, the St. Joseph's Chapel on the island was repaired by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong and once again opened to the public.[19]
Features
The current St. Joseph's Chapel replaced the first chapel on Yim Tin Tsai. Built in Italian Romanesque style,[6] it was completed in 1890, with a school adjacent to it.[9] The chapel is a Grade III historic building.[20] It has been renovated three times, the last being in 2004.[6] Cardinal Zen held a special mass in the chapel on 7 May 2006.[21][22]
The Yim Tin Tsai Typhoon Shelter, established in 1968, is located at the east of the island. It is bordered on the east by the northern part of Kau Sai Chau, and by breakwaters in the north and south.[23]
Mangrove is found off the breakwater linking Yim Tin Tsai and Kau Sai Chau.[24]
The Louisa Landale Campsite, managed by the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association, is located in the southern part of the island.[25]
Conservation
The rehabilitation of the abandoned 1890 St. Joseph's Chapel received an Award of Distinction as part of the 2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards.[26]
In 2011, it was rated as a Grade II historical building by the Antiquities Advisory Board.[27]
The revitalisation of the saltpans of Yim Tin Tsai received an Honourable Mention in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2015.[28]
Transport
Yim Tin Tsai can be reached by private ferry from Sai Kung Town.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b Whitehead, Kate. "Yim Tin Tsai: Hong Kong's little salt pan | Hong Kong Tourism Board". Discover Hong Kong. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ Puwei Hu, Fuwu Xing, Lin Chen, Meina Wang, Faguo Wang, Hongfeng Chen. [1]Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Vegetation and vascular plant diversity of islands surrounding Port Shelter, Hong Kong], China. Biodiversity Science, 2011, V19(05): 605–609
- ^ "Boundaries of Port Shelter Area". Legislation.gov.hk. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ "景點". 天主教研究中心 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy" (PDF). Lands Department. September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Humble Beginnings on Yim Tin Tsai". Explore Sai Kung. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ a b Yim Tin Tsai – Hakka Village and Catholicism
- ^ a b c "The History of Evangelization in Hong Kong" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Yim Tin Tsai Village and St. Joseph's Chapel". Sai Kung District Council. February 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
- ^ "Yim Tin Tsai Village and St. Joseph's Chapel (Chinese version)". Sai Kung District Council. February 2005. Archived from the original on 14 July 2009.
- ^ "Local Characteristics of Sai Kung District". Sai Kung District Council. 4 January 2005. Archived from the original on 17 March 2007.
- ^ "St. Joseph's Chapel, Yim Tin Tsai". Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark". www.geopark.gov.hk. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Timeless archi Culture" (PDF). Commissioner for Heritage's Office, Development Bureau. 發展局文物保育專員辦事處. June 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "【香港故事】西貢鹽田梓：客家小島記錄香港鹽業變遷". 中國新聞網. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Yim Tin Tsai: Hong Kong's little salt pan | Hong Kong Tourism Board". Discover Hong Kong. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "西貢鹽田梓 復產路難行-香港商报". 香港商報. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "香港政府新聞網 - 類別 - 環境 - 鹽田復修體驗產鹽文化". www.news.gov.hk. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Conserve and Revitalise Hong Kong Heritage - Details of approved application (284)". www.heritage.gov.hk. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "List of Graded Buildings (Master List) 452 as at 6 Nov 09.xls" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ "RASHKB/AMO Volunteers Conservation Newsletter (May 2006)" (PDF).
- ^ "Video: TVB program about the mass held by Cardinal Zen at St. Joseph's Chapel". Spike.com. 7 May 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ "Plan of Passage Area in Yim Tin Tsai Typhoon Shelter" (PDF). Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ "The mangrove & the offshore islands in Sai Kung". Archived from the original on 5 August 2010.
- ^ "AmCham Hong Kong: Living in Hong Kong" (PDF).
- ^ 2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award
- ^ Basina, Carby (6 July 2024). "Hong Kong's Yim Tin Tsai Island: 3 historical treasures of the living museum". GMA Integrated News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Project profiles for 2015 UNESCO Heritage Award winners" (PDF). UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. UNESCO. p. 1.