Yim Tin Tsai: Hong Kong's moody abandoned Catholic Hakka village
Close to Sai Kung Pier is an island covering barely one square kilometer; it's called Yim Tin Tsai.
The island is abandoned but for a thin stream of weekend hikers, a handful of shop owners and caretakers at a Girl Guides' campsite.
First settled by Hakka people in the 19th century, there were once more than 1,000 villagers living on Yim Tin Tsai.
Today, there isn't much to see here.
The main attraction is St. Joseph's Chapel, a beautiful but simple restored building, which won an Award of Merit at the 2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards.
But all other buildings on Yim Tin Tsai have been abandoned to nature. The surrounding forest is slowly digesting each village house, creating beautiful tableaus of wild foliage and crumbling walls.
That's why we like to visit the tiny island, for the moody and photogenic abandoned village.
Yim Tin Tsai
A ferry service runs between Sai Kung pier and Yim Tin Tsai on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
Departure times from Sai Kung pier: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m.
Departure times from Yim Tin Tsai: 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m.
HK$35 per person for roundtrip ferry.
www.yimtintsai.com
