This was on my bucket to-do list for a while, but only a short while. I had been on Lamma Island back in April when I first learnt about the Fisherfolk’s Village, and now it is only May and I have already been there!
So what is it? It is a folklore exhibition, showing how the fishermen used to live and work in Hong Kong. The village occupies an area of over 20,000 square feet and is built upon a floating platform, just two minutes away from the Sok Kwu Wan ferry pier.
To get there, you have to purchase tickets at the small village store and then a shuttle boat will take you to the platform out on the bay. We went on a quiet Thursday at lunchtime, and we were the only visitors, apart from a few hobby fishermen.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a guide and he took us first to visit an authentic fishing junk.
The boat was roughly 30 years old, and while it included big compartments to store ice and fish, the actual living quarters of the master bedroom and two bedrooms for children, were tiny! Incredible that people would have lived so simple and in such small living quarters just a few years back.
We walked past two traditional dragon boats and a few green sheds that serve as small exhibition halls, demonstrating equipment used, how fish is pickled and showcasing old pictures of the boat community of Hong Kong. The information was well presented, in English and Chinese, but the sheds were hot and the air was stuffed inside.
We then reached the ocean gallery, and this was really interesting. Small fish, medium fish, big fish and really huge fish were just swimming underneath us.
My highlights were the cattle fish, which I had never seen before – and the guide then demonstrated how they eat. He just threw a fish into the water basin, and one of the cuttlefish who had changed his colour (in nature they would use this ‘trick’ to stun their pray) swam closer and caught the fish with his two tentacles furnished with suckers. With the fish caught in his tentacles, the cuttlefish changed colour and dove back into the deeper parts of the sea.
There is also an ocean gallery – which includes star fish, horse shoe crab, a small shark species and a sea cucumber – maybe also other inhabitants, but these were the ones I could see.
Finally, we were invited to try their hands at angling – but using a small fish on big fish just meant that the fish got fed, and we did not catch one (yes, that’s the idea of the game anyway).
There is a small seating area where you can grab a drink and snack – but we decided to head back to Sok Kwu Wan to eat at one of the seafood restaurants, and eat a proper seafood meal.
Overall, it was an interesting 45 minutes at the Fisherfolk’s Village and I enjoyed the visit to the junk and the ocean gallery – but the games are a little bit silly and the exhibition halls are tiny. It is something to add on to your trip to Lamma if you have time, but I would not visit Lamma just for this exhibition. And yes, the Fisherfolk’s Village is interesting for toddlers to run around and explore the sea life – but just be mindful that you are on a platform in the sea and the floor is uneven.
Tickets are 80HKD for an adult and 60HKD for seniors/children – including the shuttle boat service and one fishing game. The Fisherfolk’s Village is open every day from 10am to 7pm.
bluebalu 