2 minute read
SAI KUNG SECRETS
Yim Tin Tsai island
Cynthia Lin reports on the now abandoned traditional Hakka village
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Located off-shore from Sai Kung Town, Yim Tin Tsai is a small island with an area of less than one square mile. The island was once home to over 1,000 villagers, but has since been abandoned.
Discovered by the Hakka Chan clan, who moved from Guanlan in Shenzhen in the 19th Century, the village came to life when the clan began cultivating salt ponds and established the Hakka village.
Villagers lived a nearly self-sufficient life, purchasing only a few items from Sai Kung town including pork. Men were in charge of fishing while women were responsible for farming and housework.
The villages had a unique set of Hakka rituals for weddings and funerals. When girls got married, it was called selling Mui Zyu, the girl’s family would receive gifts from the boys and not regard the girl as family anymore. The girl and her family would cry and yell for days before the wedding and paint the girl’s face with Wok Lou (leftovers after food was burnt out) on her wedding day to show the reluctance of parting.
After somebody passed away, their body would be placed on a mat, where it would stay until the day after the funeral. The deceased’s brothers would dig a grave and other villagers would help perform the burial together.
When the Catholics arrived on the island in 1857, the village became a blend of Catholic and Hakka culture. They celebrated both traditional festivals, but the biggest one for all the villagers was St. Joseph’s Day on the first Sunday of May every year.
Back then the priest would walk around the village with the Eucharist, followed by children dressed up like the Children of God. Although there is no procession now, villagers from all over the world still return to Yim Tin Tsai for the annual Mass of St. Joseph.
As farming became increasingly difficult, the villagers moved abroad or to urban areas to work, leaving the island almost abandoned. The last known person to reside on the island was recorded in 2013.
Yim Tin Tsai has won awards for protecting cultural heritage in the Asian-pacific region granted by UNESCO. If you would like to learn more about its history and culture, you can visit the island by boat from Sai Kung town.
