Hong Kong's Fishing Communities: Maritime Living Across 100 Years

三月 20, 2026

by Mia Yao, Xu Peilun

Take a trip back in time: we compare photos from 1924 and 2024 to see how life on the water in Hong Kong has changed over the last 100 years. From Hong Kong Island to the slightly remote Crooked Island, these areas have undergone massive transformations over the past century.

Photographer unknown. Image courtesy of Special Collections, University of Bristol Library (www.hpcbristol.net). Estimated year: 1924

A Kat O fishing boat in 2024. Photo courtesy of Ray LC

Hong Kong’s fishing industry has significantly declined from its peak. By the 1960s, over 20,000 fishing vessels operated in its waters, and the fishing population exceeded 150,000. Major fishing communities flourished in places like Aberdeen, Shau Kei Wan, Cheung Chau and Kat O, where generations of fisherfolk lived on their boats and shaped a distinct maritime culture.

The industry transformed in the post-war decades. Fishing vessels were motorised, allowing for offshore operations, and modern fish marketing systems were introduced. Yet perhaps the most profound change was social. From the 1970s onwards, government policies encouraged fisherfolk to move ashore, with public housing schemes gradually drawing boat-dwelling families onto land.

In 2025, according to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the fishing industry consists of only about 4,980 fishing vessels and 10,120 local fishermen, with fishing activities mainly conducted by sampans using fishing gear and smaller non-trawler vessels. Trawlers and other larger non-trawlers are generally operating in the adjacent waters of the South China Sea.

As the fishing industry has shrunk, the once vibrant life on the water has gradually faded away, but the traditional customs passed down through generations of fishermen have become even more precious amidst these changes. Hong Kong fishermen have preserved a distinctive maritime culture, much of which has now been recognised on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list. For example, the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade dates back over a century ago, as a plague broke out in Tai O. Fishermen rowed dragon boats towing deity vessels through the waterways, and the plague subsequently subsided. The ritual has been passed down ever since. In 2011, the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade was inscribed onto the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, making it the only fishermen’s custom in Hong Kong to receive this honour.

Shau Kei Wan

Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter: A photograph from Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong, China. Photo courtesy of metrotrekker

Photograph by Denis H. Hazell, estimated to have been taken in 1924. Image courtesy of Special Collections, University of Bristol Library (www.hpcbristol.net).

Shau Kei Wan was once the largest fishing village on the north coast of Hong Kong Island, with about 1,200 residents, according to the 1841 Population Census, second in size only to Stanley in the early colonial period. Many residents lived on boats rather than on land. Fisherfolk originally used the natural bay as a storm refuge in the early 18th century and gradually settled there, turning it into a recognised typhoon haven and fishing community.

Main Street East (today lined with eateries) began as a coastal market street created to serve the fishing fleet, selling fuel, water, nets and other supplies to boat people.

Before nylon, fishermen preserved their hemp nets by soaking them in salted egg white, which is why salted egg yolks became a speciality in the village.

Due to rising piracy by the mid‑19th century, Governor Richard MacDonnell ordered a crackdown and had Shau Kei Wan replanned with proper roads, housing and police posts to bring order to the busy harbour community.

After World War II, Shau Kei Wan evolved into a major fish‑trading centre, a role it still keeps, while also receiving many refugees from the Chinese Mianland who built informal hillside and shoreline settlements.

Land reclamation from the 1960s onward reshaped the original bay and coastline, reducing traditional boat-dwelling life in the typhoon shelter and replacing waterfront squatter areas with housing estates and planned urban streets.

Aberdeen

Stock photo

Photograph by Denis H. Hazell. Image courtesy of Special Collections, University of Bristol Library (www.hpcbristol.net). Estimated year: 1924.

Aberdeen, or in Cantonese Hong Kong Tsai (香港仔), is believed to be the origin of Hong Kong or the fragrant harbour. Because back in the Ming Dynasty, fragrant incense products, specifically agarwood, were shipped from ports in Aberdeen or Shek Pai Wan to the Chinese Mainland, Southeast Asia and beyond.

Since Aberdeen’s early days as a port, floating homes have been a common sight. Over time, the need for a sheltered harbour grew, leading to the development of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter.

Between 1976 and 1986, the Southern District gradually became a major residential area with its population increasing to more than 230,000. Due to industrial development and the construction of public housing estates, the population in the Southern District continued to increase and stood at over 250,000 in 2024 .

The typhoon shelter then became a unique and self-sufficient floating community. Typhoon Shelter Stir-Fried Crab was born from this kind of practical wisdom. Fisherfolk stir-fried the fresh seafood they caught that day with generous amounts of minced garlic and fermented black beans. The strong seasoning not only masked the fishy smell of seawater, but also helped replenish the salt lost through heavy physical labour.

Today, the dish has moved from the cramped decks of sampans into the grand banquet halls. It remains a fragrant reminder of a generation of fisherfolk who turned the necessity of survival into a legacy.