The island has an area of 24 hectares (49 acres).[2] It is located in Port Shelter, the harbour located south of Sai Kung Peninsula and east of the Sai Kung mainland.[3] It is connected by a breakwater in its southern part to the larger island of Kau Sai Chau. People can freely cross over to Kau Sai Chau and follow the walking trails as of 2018.[4]
The smaller islands of Shek Chau and Kwun Cham Wan are located off the coast of Yim Tin Tsai, in the northwest and the southwest respectively.
Villagers lived on farming, fishing and salt-making. They farmed 6 acres (24,000 m2) of salt field, the smallest of the five salt fields in Hong Kong at the time.[6] Other salt fields were in Tai O, Lantau Island, San Hui and Wong Ka Wai in Tuen Mun, Yim Liu Ha in Sha Tau Kok and Yim Tin Tsai in Tai Po.[8]
Baptism of the island's residents started in 1866,[7] and by 1875, all villagers on the island were baptised.[6][9] In 1879 a chapel was set up by Joseph Freinademetz (who was canonised in 2003).[9]
Ching Po School, the village school, closed down in the 1990s owing to a lack of students.[6]
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on 17 March 2013 after the village was given approval to revitalise its abandoned salt fields. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and then Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong Dominic Chan officiated the ceremony. The event was recorded by the YouTube personality Vincent Chan [zh], a descendant of the Chan clan.[12]
Features
The current St. Joseph's Chapel replaced the first chapel on Yim Tin Tsai. Built in Italian Romanesque style,[6] it was completed in 1890, with a school adjacent to it.[9] The chapel is a Grade III historic building.[13] It has been renovated three times, the last being in 2004.[6]Cardinal Zen held a special mass in the chapel on 7 May 2006.[14][15]
The Yim Tin Tsai Typhoon Shelter, established in 1968, is located at the east of the island. It is bordered on the east by the northern part of Kau Sai Chau, and by breakwaters in the north and south.[16]
Mangrove is found off the breakwater linking Yim Tin Tsai and Kau Sai Chau.[17]
Chan Man-hei, another descendant of the Chan clan, runs the Facebook group for the village.[19]
Conservation
The rehabilitation of the abandoned St. Joseph's Chapel received an Award of Distinction as part of the 2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards.[20]
The revitalisation of the saltpans of Yim Tin Tsai received an Honourable Mention in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2015.[21]
Transport
Yim Tin Tsai can be reached by private ferry from Sai Kung Town.[9]
^Puwei Hu, Fuwu Xing, Lin Chen, Meina Wang, Faguo Wang, Hongfeng Chen. [1]Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Vegetation and vascular plant diversity of islands surrounding Port Shelter, Hong Kong], China. Biodiversity Science, 2011, V19(05): 605–609
