History and Culture of Hong Kong's Fishponds

Hong Kong’s fishponds are mainly located in the coastal areas of the northwestern New Territories, particularly around the Inner Deep Bay, New Territories.

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History

In the early days, the northwestern New Territories primarily adopted a combined model of rice farming and gei wai (traditional tidal shrimp ponds) for agricultural and aquaculture production. Some of the fishponds in the Yuen Long area were originally village feng shui ponds, and began commercial operations in the 1920s.

Since the 1940s, Deep Bay became the major area for cultivating  grey mullet, snakehead, and other freshwater fish species. In the 1960s, due to a significant increase in market demand for freshwater fish, a large number of rice paddies and gei wai were converted into fishponds — Tai Sang Wai and Wo Shang Wai were formed during this period.

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Hong Kong’s freshwater aquaculture reached its peak in the 1980s. The total area of fishponds increased from 186 hectares in 1954 to a record high of 2,130 hectares in 1986.

 

Culture

Hong Kong has a long history of pond fish culture, the fishpond operators’ aquaculture technique is still preserved today. This traditional craft has been listed on the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Hong Kong” as a form of traditional craftsmanship.

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Pond fish culture carries the history of fishponds, the knowledge and expertise of fish farmers, as well as traditional wisdom and cultural values, making it a vital part of Hong Kong’s history and culture.