The report in the South China Morning Post on April 22, on Tai O, headlined, 'Tai O villagers fear stilt homes will go', filled me with horror.
It seems that the Government has no idea what draws tourists to places like Tai O. Is it not possible to leave such a gem untouched and in its natural state? Tourists are drawn to it, because here they find a rare and beautiful little village, the heart of which has been relatively untouched by ugly modernisation, where much of life and business goes on as it always has.
The fact that the villagers still wish to live in the stilt houses - and appear not to mind having so many tourists walking round - is wonderful news and the community should be left unspoiled by the Government's plans. For more than 20 years my family has been taking all our visitors across to Lantau, and Tai O in particular, in order to make sure that they see the 'other side' of Hong Kong, to make certain that they leave here knowing that Hong Kong is not all shops and concrete as they had imagined.
Some Chinese friends first introduced us to Tai O, saying that it was like China before the revolution and it is this atmosphere that draws tourists to this day.
When we first walked along the narrow village street on the near side of the creek, most of the buildings then were the traditional old, one-storey village houses with the pretty, tiled roofs, and many were empty, their owners having emigrated. But everyone smiled to see a gweilo, his wife and two small children enjoying the hot gwa beng just purchased from a lovely old lady who was the village baker.
Over the years, most of these houses have been replaced by the now common three-storey 'shoeboxes', but the village atmosphere remains and there are still enough of the old shops and stilt houses along the creek to make Tai O quite unique.
