Yim Tin Tsai is a small island near Kau Sai Chau and Sharp Island in Inner Port Shelter. Its name recalls a former livelihood: salt-making, alongside fishing, supported the island’s economy. The government’s account traces villagers’ ancestors from Guan Lan in Guangdong to Yim Tin on the mainland, and then to this island.
From the journal
Yim Tin Tsai: Salt, Chapel and a Village Remembered
Yim Tin Tsai’s salt-making past, Catholic chapel and restoration projects reveal an island shaped by migration and return.
In this district · Sai Kung ↗An island named for salt
A chapel in a Hakka village
Catholic missionaries began preaching on the island in 1864, and St Joseph’s Chapel was built in 1890. The government describes Yim Tin Tsai as one of the few Hakka villages with strong Catholic characteristics. The chapel was graded a historic building in 2010; its revitalization received an Award of Merit in 2005.
From departure to preservation
From the 1960s, villagers left to study or work, and the island became uninhabited. Villagers later established the Salt and Light Preservation Centre, restoring saltpans and village houses and running conservation and education programmes. Visitors can see the restored saltpans, heritage exhibition centre and chapel. The saltpan revitalization received an award in 2015.