Perpetuation of the Heritage

Fishing is no longer a flourishing industry, and many Tai O residents now work in the city. The three fishery associations joined forces to form the “Joint Association of Traditional Dragon-Boats in Tai O, Hong Kong” in 2008 and make a concerted effort to continue this great event.

The dragon boat water parade of Tai O is the only one of its kind in Hong Kong and one of very few in southern China. It combines a diversity of elements, including ecology and production technologies, fishery economics, fishermen’s associations, religious beliefs and rituals, to reinforce an important system of community life. It remains to this day a community-wide event that plays a key role in sustaining neighbourhood relationships.

The dragon boat water parade of Tai O was inscribed onto the third national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011.