THE HISTORY AND LIVING OF STILT HOUSES

Village On Stilts

Stilt houses in Tai O have become an icon of traditional fishing villages that reflect the history and culture of the fishing industry of Hong Kong. Early settlement in Tai O can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. The majority of Tai O's Tanka people originate from the Southern Chinese ethnic group that once lived around the South China Sea.

Fishermen are drawn to Tai O because of its favourable environment, including mountains and rivers that link to the sea. The stilt houses in Tai O show how the fishermen have adapted to their surroundings. The front part of stilt houses is a location for fishermen to gather the fish they've caught on fishing trips. The building style as placed on stilt over rivers also functioned as protection against flooding.

Tour Along The Waterways

Getting on one of the touring boats, it is the best way to appreciate the spectacular scenery of Tai O. The 20-minute boat ride takes you on a journey with the signature stilt houses towering above the waterways, on top of the small boat that you will be riding. You may travel around the two main tourist attractions of Tai O, General's Rock and the Tai O Heritage Hotel, in addition to getting a closer look at the life of the local community.

Challenges To Preservation

As the wheel of time turns, stilt houses have experienced wear and tear due to the natural ageing of construction materials and recurrent damage from rain and typhoon over time. The quality of life and the safety of the residents are severely impacted. To keep the tradition alive, there have been preservation programmes that aim to repair and restore the defective stilt houses in Tai O.

However, preservation remains difficult, and some of the stilt house owners appear less eager to have them rebuilt. Expensive maintenance cost is the key factor. Some owners find the cost unaffordable as they belong to low-income families. Since stilt homes are so directly related to public spaces, they are also vulnerable to immense destructions caused by poor weather conditions, which pose high risks to to them even after reparation.

Under the situation that Tai O is selected as the focus of tourism, there might be a gap between the government and the residents regarding the direction of preservation, and we might overlook the actual needs from the residents’ perspective. Despite emphasizing stilt houses as a tourist attraction, the government must reconsider the importance of Tai O stilt houses and value them in the eyes of the local community. The government should also be active in raising the living standard of stilt houses, including building structure and water quality.