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Tai O Field Workshop Worksheets
Tai O Field Workshop Worksheets
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Introduction Tai O is situated on the east coast of the Pearl River estuary. Together with Macau, which is on the west coast, Tai O creates the gateway to the Pearl River Delta. It is close to the west frontier in relation to Hong Kongs urban centre. Historically, Tai O was a market town and a hub of nautical transportation which linked Hong Kong, Macau, Wanshan Islands, Pearl River Delta and the places in their neighbourhood. Its distinctive ecology and geographical location, the fishing ground at the Pearl River estuary and the salt pans in the shallows on the coast contributed to the development of fishing, salt production, agriculture and commerce. Gradually, residents of Tai O have formed their own customs, social norms and constructed their own group identity.
Map of Tai O (Please refer to Appendix I)
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Fieldwork Route: Fishery
1. Tai O Bus Terminus
2. Tai O Gallery of History and Culture
3. To Tei (Earth God) of Wing On Street
4. Wing Chor School (Catholic church)
5. Sluice Gate and To Tei (Earth God) of Tai Ping Street, Heep Wo Institute
6. Yee Chung and Sam Chung Stilt House Area
7. Kwan Tai (God of War) Temple (Tin Hou (Empress of Heaven) Temple, Tei Lung She
(Earth God))
8. Disused salt pans
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Worksheet 1: Tai Os Geography and Political Circumstances 1. The three places, A, B and C are:
A:
B:
C:
Why was Tai O once a hub of nautical transportation?
2. Why was the Pearl River estuary once an important fishing ground?
3. According to the The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898, China leased the New Territories to Britain. Draw the west frontier between the mainland and Hong Kong in 1898 and outline how the Convention influenced Tai Os economy.
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Worksheet 2: The Local Community Wing On Street and Tai Ping Street 1. Why are Wing On Street and Tai Ping Street narrower than others?
2. What main economic activities are the residents of the two streets engaged in?
3. What are the functions of the shrine at the entrance of Wing On Street?
4. What are the functions of the shrine and the pillar at the entrance of Tai Ping Street?
5. Where is the Heep Wo Institute () located? What was its function? How is its present condition? How do you feel about it?
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Worksheet 3: Fishermens Community Yee Chung and Sam Chung Stilt Houses Area
1. How is Chung different from a road? What was the transport of the stilt house
residents in the past? How did they go on shore when the tide ebbed?
2. Where did stilt house residents get their drinking water?
3. What does a front part of the stilt (pan tou) refer to? How was its location and design related to early fishing industry?
4. What was the relationship between the stilt house residents and the on-shore residents in the past?
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Worksheet 4: Temples Kwan Tai (God of War) Temple and Tin Hou
(Empress of Heaven) Temple at the Town Center
Floor Plan of Kwan Tai Temple and Tin Hou Temple
Kwan Tai Temple Tin Hou Temple
1. What are the objects labeled A, B and c i on the floor plan?
2. In which year were the bell and Inscription A installed? What are the military units mentioned in Inscription A? __________________________________________________________________
3. What does the temple look like? Why are there such a variety of deity images in the temple? __________________________________________________________________
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Worksheet 5: Fishery Catching Yellow Croakers 1. When was the fishing season of Yellow Croakers?
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2. What are the characteristics of a Yellow Croaker?
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3. What kind of boat did Tai O fishermen often use to catch Yellow Croakers?
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4. How did Tai O fishermen operate the catching of Yellow Croakers?
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5. How did the particular operation in Question 4 relate to Tai Os dragon boat activities in Dragon Boat Festival? __________________________________________________________________
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6. What is the significance of Tai Os Deities Parade during Dragon Boat Festival?
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Appendix I Glossary
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Appendix I Glossary Map of Tai O Hung Shing (God of the Sea) Temple Kat Hing Back Street Shek Tsai Po Street Kwan Tai (God of War) Temple Tin Hou (Empress of Heaven) Temple Sang Tiu Pang To Tei (Earth God) Temple Pun Lo Pang Tai Chung Pang San Ki Pang Yeung Hou (Marquis Prince)Temple Chong Lung Shrine Market Street Tai Ping Street Tai O Wing On Street Yat Chung Yee Chung Sam Chung Sha Chai Min Fuk Tak Kung To Tei (Earth God) Temple Lung Am Monastery Wah Kwong Temple Sha Tin Tsuen San Tsuen Kwun Yum (Goddess of Mercy) Monastery Leung Uk Hoi San (God of Sea) Temple Site of former Tin Sang Salt Pan Site of former Tat On Salt Pan Site of former Tai Shan Salt Pan
Appendix I Glossary
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Map of Pearl River Delta Guangzhou Panyu Foshan Shunde Dongguan Zhongshan Shekou Shenzhen Kowloon Lingding Ocean Figure of Stilt House kitchen toilet front part of the stilt pan tou Floor plan of Kwan Tai Temple and Tin Hou Temple Statue of Wa Tor (God of Medicine) Statue of Kwan Tai (God of War) Statue of Tai Sun Statue of Tin Hou (Empress of Heaven) incense burner stand incense burner bell and drum cushion donation box paper offering furnace incense sticks and candles counter Statue of Deity of Wealth Statue of Yu Tou Tai Shun bridge saber white horse brown horse bones
Appendix I Glossary
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table image of deity bench statue of Door-God statue of Fuk Tak Kung inscription main entrance / front door middle door Kwan Tai (God of War) Temple Tin Hou (Empress of Heaven) Temple
Appendix II Suggested answers
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Appendix II
Tai O Field Workshop Worksheets
Suggested Answers
Appendix II Suggested answers
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Worksheet 1: Tai Os Geography and Political Circumstances
1. The three places, A, B and
C are:
A: Macau
B: Tai O
C: Hong Kong Island
Why was Tai O once a hub of
nautical transportation?
Owing to the good
geographical location of Tai
O, the ships, though driven
by sails and labour power,
could reach the coastal towns
and villages in the Pearl
River Delta in one day.
2. Why was the Pearl River estuary once an important fishing ground?
Owing to the fact that the Pearl River estuary, which is near Tai O, is where seawater and fresh water meet, the catch of fish was profuse. Moreover, since the nautical distance from Tai O to the estuary is short, many Tai O fishermen worked there, making the estuary an important fishing ground. Since the 1950s, Tai Os fishing boats have gradually motorized, hence increasing the catch. Overfishing however upset the ecology of Yellow Croakers and gradually the fishing industry at the estuary declined.
3. According to the The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898, China leased the New Territories to Britain. Draw the west frontier between the mainland and Hong Kong in 1898 and outline how the Convention influenced Tai Os economy.
Before 1997, Tai Os adjacent waters were already under the jurisdiction of the PRC government. Therefore, the colonial government could only build typhoon shelters at places within Hong Kong waters such as Cheung Chau and Aberdeen. For this reason, a lot of fishermen left Tai O, where the fishing industry declined sharply then.
Appendix II Suggested answers
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Worksheet 2: The Local Community Wing On Street and Tai Ping Street
1. Why are Wing On Street and Tai Ping Street narrower than others?
A dike was originally built there to separate the salt pan from the sea. On its two sides were
the two streets.
2. What main economic activities are the residents of the two streets engaged in?
Residents of Wing On Street and Tai Ping Street are mainly engaged in commercial activities.
3. What are the functions of the shrine at the entrance of Wing On Street?
The Earth God shrine is a protector of the district and is where the local villagers worship the
deity. It also indicates the border of a street.
4. What are the functions of the shrine and the pillar at the entrance of Tai Ping Street?
Refer to the last question for the function of a shrine. Besides the shrine is a sluice. On the
pillar, there was originally a wheel, attached to a rope for adjusting the level of the sluice and
controlling the inflow and outflow of seawater.
5. Where is the Heep Wo Institute () located? What was its function? How is its present condition? How do you feel about it?
Refer to the map for the location of the Heep Wo Institute (). Heep Wo Institute was
a school founded by local merchants. However, in about 1920, the building was transformed
into a storage space for salt. The institute was torn down in 2005 due to neglected repairs for
many years.
Appendix II Suggested answers
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Worksheet 3: Fishermens Community Yee Chung and Sam Chung Stilt
Houses Area
1. How is Chung different from a road? What was the transport of the stilt house residents in
the past? How did they go on shore when the tide ebbed? A chung is a waterway formed between two stilt houses. When fishing industry flourished, Chungs were channels for fishing boats and sampans. Stilt houses were separated from the land by seawater. The only transport was then sampan. However, when the tide ebbed, the stilt house residents had to walk to the shore bare-footed, soiled with mud.
2. Where did stilt house residents get drinking water?
Water supply was always a problem in the stilt house areas. The residents used to row their boats to the streams and the public taps to obtain fresh water. Tap water and electricity were not supplied until the 1960s and the 1970s.
3. What does a front part of the stilt (pan tou) refer to? How was its location and design related to early fishing industry? The part facing the sea is a platform, which the local people call the stilt head. A stilt house was a supply depot to which fishing boats are anchored and where fishing gears are repaired. There, fishermen could dry their clothes in the sun, relaxed themselves in the cool and engaged in chatting, playing cards and repairing fishing gears. Stilt head is also the main passage between stilt houses.
4. What was the relationship between the stilt house residents and the on-shore residents in the past? In Chinas era of dynasty, people living on boats were classified as Tanka and were not entitled to sitting the imperial examination. Fishermen were discriminated against by both the government and the on-shore residents. Since stilt houses were not built on land, the residents need not pay land tax. For this reason, fishermen were criticized as lacking social responsibility. Nowadays, the Hong Kong Government does not consider them as indigenous inhabitants. They have to cope with problems by themselves. A typical example is building the Sun Kei Bridge without any government support.
Appendix II Suggested answers
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Worksheet 4: Temples Kwan Tai (God of War) Temple and Tin Hou
(Empress of Heaven) Temple at the Town Center Floor Plan of Kwan Tai Temple and Tin Hou Temple
Kwan Tai Temple Tin Hou Temple
1. What are the objects labeled A, B and c i on the floor plan? Refer to the labels on the map for the answers.
2. In which year were the bell and Inscription A installed? What is the military unit mentioned in Inscription A? The bell was installed in the temple in the 52nd year of Kangxi Period of the Qing Dynasty (1713AD) while Inscription A in the 2nd year of Xian-feng Period (1852AD). The military unit mentioned in the inscription consisted of 22 people, most of whom were officials of the Da-peng Camp in Guangdong with the rest coming from Guangdong Navy.
3. What does the temple look like? Why are there such a variety of statues of deity in the temple? The temple looks like a court in ancient China. As soon as the worshippers entered the temple, they would first burn some incense sticks, offer sacrifices, kneel and ask the deities for blessings. Then, they would burn the offerings; simultaneously, the temple-keeper would ring the bell to inform the deities the worshipping procedure had finished and pray that they would accept the worshippers offerings. These were similar to filing a lawsuit at the court in the past. The accused hit the drum outside the court to cry for redress of wrong. On entering the court, they knelt before the magistrate to state the details of grievance. Political power was compared to religious force.
Appendix II Suggested answers
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Worksheet 5: Fishery Catching Yellow Croakers
1. When was the fishing season of Yellow Croakers?
The fishing season of Yellow Croakers fell between the15th day of the 8th lunar month and the15th day of the 11th lunar month.
2. What are the characteristics of a Yellow Croaker?
Yellow Croakers belong to the family of Sciaenidae. They make repetitive drumming sounds and detect sounds with two loose bones (otoliths) inside their cranium.
3. What kind of boat do Tai O fishermen often use to catch Yellow Croakers?
Big-tailed junk
4. How did Tai O fishermen operate the catching of Yellow Croakers?
Fishermen located Yellow Croakers by pressing their ears against the baseplate of the cabin in search of the fishs drumming sounds. In Tai O, fishermen caught the fish mainly in big-tailed junks. Four such junks formed a team. Once a shoal had been located, each of the junks sped to it and placed down a gill-net. The four nets were then connected to form a circle, enclosing the fish inside. Then the fishermen drove their junks into the circle. They beat the water surface and the hulls to frighten away the fish, which then got entangled with the nets.
5. How did the particular operation in Question 4 relate to Tai Os dragon boat activities in Dragon Boat Festival? The Tau Suen (first boat) and the Yi Suen (second boat) were responsible for organizing the dragon boat activities in the festival. Tau Suen referred to the junk achieving the biggest harvest in that fishing season and Yi Suen came second. Tau Suen was the chief organizer, in charge of making preparations, presiding over the rituals of the deities parade. Yi Suen provided assistance.
6. What is the significance of Tai Os Deities Parade during Dragon Boat Festival?
In the Deities Parade, the travelling deity images of Yang Hou (Marquis Prince), Tin Hou (Empress of Heaven), Kwan Tai (God of War) and Hung Shing (a God of the Sea) are taken out and placed in a small boat which is towed along different channels by a dragon boat. Both the dragon boat and the deities boat are inserted with flags. Dragon boat association members in the boat keep burning paper offerings and splashing shui-fan, a porridge of water, rice and vegetables, to the sea for the purpose of pacifying the wandering ghosts in the water. Local people call the rituals Fa Yi.
Appendix III Reference
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References for Tai O Field Workshop 2000 2003 1962 2002
2002 1997 1946
1999 1986 2006 2000 2004 1939 Anderson, Eugene N. The Floating World of Castle Peak Bay. Washington, D.C.: American
Anthropological Association, 1970. Kani, Hiroaki. A General Survey of the Boat People in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Southeast
Appendix III Reference
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Asia Studies Section, New Asia Research Institute, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1967.
Ward, Barbara E. Through Other Eyes: An Anthropologists View of Hong Kong. Hong Kong:
Chinese University Press, 1989.
2004 1 19 Acton, T.A. Education as a By-product of Fish Market. Journal of the Hong Kong Branch
of the Royal Asiatic Society 21 (1981): 120-143. Chu, C.Y. The Yellow Croaker Fishery of Hong Kong and Preliminary Notes on the Biology
of Pseudosciaena Crocea (Richardson). Hong Kong University Fisheries Journal 3: 111-164.
Lin, Shu-yen. Salt Manufacture in Hong Kong. Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the
Royal Asiatic Society 7 (1967): 138-151. Liu, Tik-sang and Cheung, Siu-woo. Reference Community: Anthropological Experience of
Research, Teaching and Friendship in Tai O, Hong Kong. In On the South China Track: Perspectives on Anthropological Research and Teaching, edited by Sidney C.H. Cheung, 225-244. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998.
McCoy, John. The Dialects of Hong Kong Boat People: Kau Sai. Journal of the Hong Kong
Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 5 (1965): 46-64. Schofield, Walter. Pile Houses at Tai O, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, 10th January 1937.
Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 10 (1970): 197-200, plate 25-29.
1911
Appendix III Reference
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1951 Hong Kong Agriculture and Fisheries Department. Annual Departmental Report by the
Director of Agriculture and Fisheries 1950/51. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer.
Hong Kong Agriculture and Fisheries Department. Annual Departmental Report by the
Director of Agriculture and Fisheries 1958/59. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer.
Hong Kong Agriculture and Fisheries Department. Annual Departmental Report by the
Director of Agriculture and Fisheries 1959/60. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer.
Hong Kong Blue Book 1906. J2-11. Hong Kong Government. Hong Kong 1969. Hong Kong: Government Publications Bureau,
1970. Hong Kong Government. Hong Kong Annual Report 1957. Hong Kong: Government
Publication Bureau, 1958. 1963 3 20 1 2 2000 7 30 2002 2 13 2003 9 1 2007 8 9
Appendix III Reference
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Reminder for Students I. Dress Code: Should wear neat and tidy school uniform / P.E. uniform and hair style. II. Personal Necessities:
1. identity document 2. medicines for emergency 3. drinking water 4. camera 5. audio recorder 6. notebook and ball pen 7. rain gear and hat 8. backpack
III. Valuable Items: Bring sufficient money and mobile phone for easy contact.
IV. Attendance and Lateness
Arrive punctually. Latecomers should not go to the field sites on their own. They should contact their teachers or school.
V. Sphere of Activities For safety reasons, students should not go beyond the place designated by teachers or instructors. No one should leave without the teachers permission.
VI. Activities Prohibited
No swimming, playing in a mountain stream, rock climbing, tree climbing, cycling or boating is allowed.
VII. Personal Behaviour Dont shout, make loud noises, chase about or cause any disturbance to the local
residents (especially when passing stilt houses). Avoid indulging in loud and empty talk or any disrespect for local customs. Should follow teachers instruction and respect the norms there.
VIII. Temple Visit
Dont ring any bells or beat any drums in a temple.
IX. Stilt House Visit Take off your shoes to show courtesy inside a stilt house.
