Nestled under the shadow of Ma on Shan and Pyramid hill, Sai Kung town is a small but bustling place which is able to offer an escape from the big city merely kilometres over the mountains. Its surrounding landscape is a sub tropical archipelago with lush green mountains flanking on all sides. It is here which we have called home for the past year, away from the neon metropolis only a bus ride away.
Located in the New Territories of the Hong Kong region, Sai Kung still retains some of its unique charm and heritage. The town itself is rapidly going through development and it is the aim of this project to capture the flow of a single year documenting this corner of old Hong Kong. While change is at times an unstoppable force it is also important to record and analyse its impact on society and the environment we live in.
Sai Kung has a steep history dating back to the Ming Dynasty where it was a port of call for traders sailing between South-East Asia, East Africa and the middle East. The name of a place is normally attributed by its geography or historical significance and Sai Kung is no different, “tributes from the west” translated into English is a sign of how important this little corner of today's Hong Kong once was. A few decades ago the main industry was predominately fishing but as with many other places there has been a steep decline. Large communities of fishing villages have now turned to tourism and boat making but there are still those who continue this important tradition and way of life.
The town itself is a magnet for city residents due to its plethora of hiking trails and limitless outdoor activities, some parts of town are in the process of gentrification with rent prices soaring and new luxury property developments being constructed along the most scenic view points. This tranquil back garden of Hong Kong will soon follow suite of other districts hugging the cities edges.
It has been my aim to document one of the last few aspects of old Hong K