Yim Tin Tsai (Sai Kung District) Explained

Yim Tin Tze
Pushpin Map:Hong Kong
Coordinates:22.3775°N 114.3032°W
Location:Port Shelter, Sai Kung District, Hong Kong
Area M2:or
Area Ha:-->
Length M:-->
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Country:Hong Kong SAR
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Population:1+
Population As Of:2013
Timezone1:HKT
Utc Offset1:+8:00

Yim Tin Tze (or Yim Tin Tsai,) is a small offshore island in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong.

As of 2013 there was at least one person living on the island again after a long absence of a permanent population.[1]

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. People can freely cross over to Kau Sai Chau and follow the walking trails as of 2018.[4]

The smaller islands of Shek Chau and Kwun Cham Wan are located off the coast of Yim Tin Tze, in the northwest and the southwest respectively.

Administration

Yim Tin Tze 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[7] [8] (other sources mention 300 years ago). 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. 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[9] (other sources mention 1,200[10]).

Villagers lived on farming, fishing and salt-making. They farmed 6acres of salt field, the smallest of the five salt fields in Hong Kong at the time. Other salt fields 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.

Baptism of the island's residents started in 1866, and by 1875, all villagers on the island were baptised. In 1879 a chapel was set up by Joseph Freinademetz (who was canonised in 2003).[11]

Ching Po School, the village school, closed down in the 1990s owing to a lack of students.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on 17 March 2013 after the village was given approval to revitalise its abandoned salt fields. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and then Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong Dominic Chan officiated the ceremony. The event was recorded by the YouTube personality, a descendant of the Chan clan.[12]

Features

The current St. Joseph's Chapel replaced the first chapel on Yim Tin Tsai. Built in Italian Romanesque style, it was completed in 1890, with a school adjacent to it. The chapel is a Grade III historic building.[13] It has been renovated three times, the last being in 2004. Cardinal Zen held a special mass in the chapel on 7 May 2006.[14] [15]

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.[16]

Mangrove is found off the breakwater linking Yim Tin Tsai and Kau Sai Chau.[17]

The Louisa Landale Campsite, managed by the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association, is located in the southern part of the island.[18]

Chan Man-hei, another descendant of the Chan clan, runs the Facebook group for the village.[19]

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.[20]

In 2011, it was rated as a Grade II historical building by the Antiquities Advisory Board.[21]

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.[22]

Transport

Yim Tin Tsai can be reached by private ferry from Sai Kung Town.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yim Tin Tsai Revisited (Video) . YouTube . 2015-12-21 . 2015-12-21.
  2. Puwei Hu, Fuwu Xing, Lin Chen, Meina Wang, Faguo Wang, Hongfeng Chen. http://pub.chinasciencejournal.com/article/getArticle.action?articleId=23974 Vegetation and vascular plant diversity of islands surrounding Port Shelter, Hong Kong
  3. Web site: Boundaries of Port Shelter Area . Legislation.gov.hk . 17 February 2012.
  4. Web site: Yim Tin Tsai Ancestral Village (Video) . YouTube . 2018-12-27 . 2019-06-12.
  5. Web site: List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy . September 2009 . .
  6. Web site: Humble Beginnings on Yim Tin Tsai . Exploresaikung.com . 27 January 2012 . 17 February 2012.
  7. http://catholic.rel.cuhk.edu.hk/YTTe.html Yim Tin Tsai – Hakka Village and Catholicism
  8. Web site: The History of Evangelization in Hong Kong. 29 June 2009 . 5 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180705175830/http://evanlife.org.hk/ev_route/e_history_bk.pdf . dead .
  9. Web site: Local Characteristics of Sai Kung District. https://web.archive.org/web/20070317072108/http://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/sk_d/english/dchighlights.htm. dead. 17 March 2007.
  10. Web site: Yim Tin Tsai Village and St. Joseph's Chapel (Chinese version). https://web.archive.org/web/20090714094229/http://www.travelinsaikung.org.hk/chinese/sea/yim_tin_tsai.shtml. dead. 14 July 2009.
  11. Web site: Yim Tin Tsai Village and St. Joseph's Chapel. https://web.archive.org/web/20080929183045/http://www.travelinsaikung.org.hk/english/sea/yim_tin_tsai.shtml. dead. 29 September 2008.
  12. Web site: Yim Tin Tsai Ground Breaking Ceremony (Video) . YouTube . 2013-05-22 . 2013-10-09.
  13. Web site: List of Graded Buildings (Master List) 452 as at 6 Nov 09.xls. 17 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110709224215/http://www.amo.gov.hk/form/historical.pdf . 9 July 2011 . dead.
  14. Web site: RASHKB/AMO Volunteers Conservation Newsletter (May 2006).
  15. Web site: Video: TVB program about the mass held by Cardinal Zen at St. Joseph's Chapel . Spike.com . 7 May 2006 . 17 February 2012.
  16. Web site: Plan of Passage Area in Yim Tin Tsai Typhoon Shelter. 17 February 2012.
  17. Web site: The mangrove & the offshore islands in Sai Kung. https://web.archive.org/web/20100805005225/http://www.travelinsaikung.org.hk/english/sea/yim_tin_tsai_mangrove.shtml. dead. 5 August 2010.
  18. Web site: AmCham Hong Kong: Living in Hong Kong.
  19. Web site: Facebook Groups. www.facebook.com.
  20. http://www.unescobkk.org/culture/our-projects/empowerment-of-the-culture-profession/asia-pacific-heritage-awards-for-culture-heritage-conservation/previous-heritage-awards-2000-2008/2005/award-winners/ 2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award
  21. News: Basina . Carby . Hong Kong's Yim Tin Tsai Island: 3 historical treasures of the living museum. July 6, 2024 . GMA Integrated News. July 6, 2024.
  22. Web site: Project profiles for 2015 UNESCO Heritage Award winners . 1 . . .