Hand-drawn tourist map of Lantau Island in the 1960s: Tai O, Keung Shan and Shek Pik

In the 1960s, Lantau Island developed into one of the local tourist destinations. This map, hand-drawn by Li Minfei, publisher of the famous hiking magazine "Haiguang" at that time, records a lot of past scenery. Before the signing of the New Territories Expansion Treaty in 1898, Tai O was once a waterway transportation center to the Pearl River Estuary, Guangzhou and Macao in the mainland. It also developed into a developed fishing port early on, rich in yellow flowers, amberjack, etc. Also because the adjacent Lingding Ocean is rich in floating shrimp, the local shrimp paste industry has developed, and together with salted fish, it has become the most popular product and souvenir. In addition to fishermen, there are also a large number of Hakkas in Tai O, many of whom moved back after the Kangxi Order to Restore the Territory. In the 1960s, salt fields could still be seen in Tai O. The local production of sea salt has been very developed in the Song Dynasty. The current Yongan Street, Taiping Street and Xincun are the early salt field foundations. Today, people in Tai O still sell traditional pickled salted egg yolks, which is directly related to the development of the salt industry in the past. In addition, there was no ferry bridge in Tai O at that time, and one had to take a street ferry to travel between the north and the south. Shek Pik Valley is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has a long history. However, after the government built Shek Pik Reservoir in the area, the original villages have long since disappeared. Maps from the 1960s still show the ruins of many villages. About 260 villagers from four villages (including Shekbi Village, Gangbei Village, Hangzai Village and Fenbei Village) who originally lived in the plains of the valley and made a living from farming need to be relocated. Among them, most villagers in Shekbi Village chose to "exchange houses for land" and relocated. village to the Tsuen Wan New Town, among the six tenement houses built by the government for the villagers (Stone Pik New Estate); some were also moved to the Silver Bay area of Mui Wo Pier, while the villagers of Fung Pui Village who chose to stay on Lantau Island were resettled Go to nearby Tai Long Wan New Village and continue farming. (Collection provided by John Wu) Originally published in the 2021 Spring Issue of "Just Hong Kong" Paper size｜32x42cm Image size｜30x40cm Paper｜V-Lite Silk 170gsm Printing | Digital printing Product serial number｜WA0197 /Sent in paper tube, free postage in Hong Kong / Limited to 5 pieces, handmade, each stamped with "Hang Kong" watermark / Pictures are for reference only, product does not include frame This print is for personal use only and may not be reproduced or otherwise used.