Yim Tin Tsai
A small Sai Kung island where a Hakka Catholic village and its salt pans have been restored.
Updated 19 October 2026
Yim Tin Tsai is a small island off Sai Kung whose Hakka villagers converted to Catholicism in the nineteenth century and built St Joseph's Chapel above the shore, still standing and still used for an annual festival that brings former residents back. The village emptied by the 1990s. Since then descendants and volunteers have restored the chapel, opened a village heritage exhibition and, most unusually, brought the island's abandoned salt pans back into production, harvesting sea salt by evaporation as the village once did. Both projects received UNESCO Asia-Pacific heritage awards. A short trail loops the island past mangroves, the pans and a viewpoint.
History
Archaeological excavation dates the island back to the Eastern Han dynasty, around 100 CE. Members of the Hakka Chan clan from Yim Tin, now part of Shenzhen, settled it in the 19th century and named it after their home, living by farming, fishing and salt-making on 6 acres of salt pans, the smallest of the five in Hong Kong. Baptisms began in 1866 and by 1875 every villager was baptised; Joseph Freinademetz, canonised in 2003, set up a chapel in 1879, St Joseph's Chapel was inaugurated in 1890, and by the 1920s, under competition from mainland China and Vietnam, salt production had stopped (Wikipedia, Yim Tin Tsai (Sai Kung District)).
The main sights
- St Joseph's Chapel - the restored church of a Hakka Catholic village.
- Working salt pans - evaporation ponds brought back into production.
- The village heritage house - the exhibition on island life.
- The island loop trail - mangroves, pans and a viewpoint in an hour.
When to go
October to April for comfortable walking; the salt harvest runs in the dry months. Half a day. Boats are frequent at weekends and sparse midweek.
Before you go
Midweek boats are few and the island can be hard to reach. Most village houses remain ruined. Facilities are a small kiosk and toilets. The loop takes an hour, so the boat timetable governs the visit.
Nearby
Sai Kung town is west; Sharp Island lies south.
What to pack for Yim Tin Tsai
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- Broken-in walking shoes or boots - Grip and ankle support matter more than looks; never hike in brand-new boots. Find on Amazon
- Travel rod + reel - A packable multi-piece rod fits in a case and covers most holiday fishing. Find on Amazon
- Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
- Layers + a waterproof shell - Mountain weather turns fast; a packable rain jacket saves the day. Find on Amazon
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