Cheung Chau Fishery history Preview

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San Hing Praya Street & Man Shun Lane (Kai-Fong Bridge 街坊橋)

At the end of the 19th century, many wooden bridges appeared in Cheung Chau. It is believed that most of them were for public use and unloading fishing salt, grain and oil groceries. The Kai-Fong Bridge was one of them. However, it was demolished due to reclamation in the 1980s which became San Hing Praya Street and Man Shun Lane now.

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Cheung Chau Ferry Pier

It was built in the 1950s and was reconstructed in 2002. Nowadays, it is the place for transporting goods between different islands. There are also ferries travelling between Central and Cheung Chau every day. Gone are the days when the pier had not been built yet, there were many salt fields nearby. They built up different salt pans and use natural seawater to make salt. If they produce too much salt, they will take some to other islands to trade for other necessities, like oil, for self-sufficiency.

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Cheung Chau Market

Before the Cheung Chau Market was built, it was just a market where people gathered and sold an array of stuff, like fishing supplies, seafood, groceries, and so on. Some people may even perform traditional folk art and dance. In the late 19th century, there were about 200 shops. Fishermen sold salt and fresh fish to earn a living. In the 1960s-1970s, it was renovated into today’s market, where Cheung Chau residents will find fresh food from there.

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Cheung Po Tsai Cave

Cheung Po Tsai CaveFeaturesCheung Po Tsai’s hide-out cave to avoid navy arrest; andstorage for his treasurePirate IssueThere were found pirate traces in Cheung Chau in the 19th century. The success of the fishery and salt industries has attracted the pirate. Cheung Chau residents tolerated pirate harassment.As a result, Qing Government soon assigned a navy to protect Cheung Chau.

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police station

Pirate rampaged in Cheung ChauThe first Cheung Chau Police Station was built by the coast. On 19 August 1912, a group of pirates landed on Cheung Chau. They grabbed the money and bullets from the police station and houses nearby. Three Indian policies were shot to death.Relocation of the Police StationIn the same year, the British Hong Kong government spent HKD22,000 to rebuild the police station on the hill. The government attempted to protect the island from pirate attacks. Residents could keep on fishing safely.

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yuk hui temple

A plague devastated and a number of pirates infiltrated Cheung Chau in the 18th century. Some local fishermen brought the statue of Pak Tai and paraded it around the village to drive away evil spirits. Therefore, the residents built Yuk Hui Temple in gratitude for Pak Tai's blessing.

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4 Other Temples Dedicated to Tin Hau

Fishermen in Cheung Chau often struggled with nature. They always pray for good weather and safety when working in the sea. Hence, they seek protection from Tin Hau and built a few Tin Hau temples by the sea.