Hiking, travel and adventures around Hong Kong and Asia.
HKFP Venture: Exploring an abandoned school on Hong Kong’s far-flung Kat O
Kut O public school (“Kut O” being another English rendering for Kat O), was founded in 1931. It allowed children on the far-flung island to receive an education from qualified teachers. Before its founding, the local children were given free lessons in classical Chinese by a villager in the wings of Tin Hau temple. Taking […]
HKFP Venture: Kat O, Hong Kong’s forgotten island – once its international gateway
Off the shore of Hong Kong’s north-easternmost corner lies Kat O, an island of fishing villages with a little-known history. Deserted under a decree during the Ming dynasty, it was re-inhabited by Hakka settlers in the 1660’s. Historically, the island served as an important resting stop for boats travelling between Hong Kong and the mainland. […]
HKFP Venture: Ma Wan’s abandoned village frozen in time as final residents evicted
Once a thriving fishing village with stilt houses, restaurants and a school, Ma Wan village now lies abandoned, slowly crumbling beneath the imposing Park Island residential complex and Tsing Ma bridge. In the 1980s, the town had a population of several thousand, though by 2000, it was home to around 800. Fish farming was the main […]
HKFP Venture: The magnificent mosques, mausoleums and minarets of Uzbekistan
Rich in history and home to some of the world’s most kaleidoscopic and intricate Islamic architecture, Uzbekistan is finally opening up to tourism. At the heart of the old Silk Road, the landlocked, ex-Soviet country has the largest population among the Central Asian “stans.” It is slowly undergoing reforms following the death of authoritarian leader […]