Tai O Village – the Fishermen

Last concluding part about Tai O Village to introduce the last of the social groups in Tai O Village. There are those who live on land, those who live on houses constructed above water, and those who live on their boats – the fishermen.

Meet our very own fisherman, a handsome local willing to share his boat life with us pesky strangers.

We boarded his smaller boat, and were brought up in groups to his floating home.

As far as I can tell, assuming facial expressions and tone of voice have universal meanings, the guy seemed happy and content. There was no indication of family, though that doesn’t say much, the only observable companions being the drying salty fish that made the boat smell as strong as a fresh seafood market. Things were as simple as they can get, but he was all smiles and courtesy. Absolutely heartwarming.

It’s a bit difficult to try and imagine living like that your whole life, but those fishermen do it, in relative solitude and with only the very simple basics.

Whether on land or on water, Tai O Village is a strong contrast to all that’s stereotypical Hong Kong. If you look beyond the tourism slogans and the heritage tours of “old Hong Kong” for Tai-O you may begin to contemplate issues like wealth distribution and commercialization, challenging your understanding of subjective well-being and rethinking social equality and justice.