The Saltpan at Yim Tin Tsai: A Story of Salt, Sea, and Survival

The saltpan at Yim Tin Tsai is Hong Kong’s only remaining natural salt field and the reason the island has its name. For a small island in Sai Kung, salt was never just a commodity—it was the economic foundation that allowed a Hakka community to take root, thrive, and eventually leave. Today, the restored saltpan stands as a living monument to that history, earning a UNESCO Award of Distinction in 2015 and drawing visitors who come to witness an almost-forgotten craft.

 

The Name That Tells a Story

Yim Tin Tsai means “Little Salt Pan” in Cantonese, a name that leaves little doubt about what once defined this place . The island’s story begins over 300 years ago, when a Chan couple crossed the water from Yantian in Shenzhen and settled on this then-empty island . The name they gave it carried a double meaning: it honoured the salt fields they would build, and it remembered the hometown they left behind—the character “tsai” (梓) symbolising a longing for one’s roots .

 

How Salt Built a Village

Generations after the first settlers arrived, one of the Chan ancestors looked at the narrow bay on the island’s southern shore and saw an opportunity. The inlet was sheltered and shallow—perfect for letting seawater in, trapping it, and letting the sun do the rest . He built two openings: one to let seawater in and another to let it flow out, creating the first saltpan .

The timing was right. By the 19th century, Yim Tin Tsai had become one of Hong Kong’s five major salt fields, and its output was sufficient to supply the entire Sai Kung district . Salt became the economic backbone of the village, supporting a population that at its peak numbered over 400 residents who also fished and farmed rice .

 

The Decline of an Industry

The salt industry on Yim Tin Tsai could not withstand the forces of globalisation. As industrialised salt production took hold worldwide, the handmade, sun-dried salt of this small island became economically unviable . The saltpans were eventually abandoned, and the villagers who depended on them turned increasingly to fishing and farming .

By the 1960s, the wider forces of urbanisation began pulling families away from the island altogether. Children needed secondary education that the village school could not provide, and jobs in Kowloon or overseas offered more reliable futures . By 1998, the last household had left, and Yim Tin Tsai became an empty island—its saltpans silent, its houses crumbling .

 

A Saltpan Reborn

For years, the old salt fields lay overgrown, their history buried under weeds and neglect. But when villagers began returning in the 2000s to restore their ancestral home, the saltpan became a central part of the revival. Led by village representative Colin Chan, a committee of former villagers and volunteers turned their attention to the abandoned fields .

The restoration work was completed in 2015, and the following year, the revived saltpan produced its first harvest of salt since the island was abandoned . Today, the saltpan produces around 10 tonnes of sea salt annually, with quality meeting international food safety standards . The site now includes an educational visitor centre that walks guests through each step of the traditional salt-making process .

The significance of this revival was recognised internationally when the Yim Tin Tsai saltpan revitalisation project received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2015 . It was the second UNESCO honour for the island, following the 2005 Award of Merit for the restoration of St. Joseph’s Chapel.

 

Visiting the Saltpan Today

A visit to Yim Tin Tsai today offers a glimpse into a way of life that nearly vanished. The saltpan sparkles in the sunlight, surrounded by mangrove trees, and on weekends the island welcomes hundreds of visitors who come to learn, photograph, and reflect . Salt-making workshops have been held since 2018, allowing visitors to try their hand at the craft their ancestors practised for generations .

The saltpan is not just a tourist attraction. It is a testament to what a community can accomplish when it refuses to let its heritage disappear. As Colin Chan once put it, he wanted to make the island “like a living museum” . The saltpan—white, glistening, and alive with the rhythm of sun and sea—is perhaps the most vivid exhibit of all.

 

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