2 Yim Tin Tsai Village
This relic-strewn island offers both fascinating glimpses into Hakka cultural heritage and a fair share of creepy uninhabited buildings for thrill-seeking explorers. Just 15 minutes offshore of Sai Kung Town, Yim Tin Tsai Village was first settled by the Hakka Chan clan in the eighteenth century and was inhabited by over a thousand villagers at its peak. Carving out a laid-back life, their primary means of livelihood were farming, fishing, and salt-making. This was what gave the island its Chinese name “Little Salt Farm” (鹽田仔).
After villagers evacuated the island in the 1990s and all was left abandoned, the village was on the brink of fizzling out of existence. Yet, by some stroke of luck, descendants of the original Hakka villagers decided to revitalise parts of the island in recent years. Long-forgotten buildings were suddenly brought to life, including the former primary school-turned-heritage exhibition centre now standing adjacent to the Grade III-listed St Joseph Chapel. At the same time, a slew of dilapidated old residences remains untouched to serve a stark and surreal reminder of the village’s colourful past.