Boat people housing culture : an in-depth case study of Tai O village​

Abstract

Building on three pilot studies conducted from 2017–2020, this 3-year funded study (GRF 15600621, HK$888,662, 2021–2024) examines the socio-spatial evolution of Tai O, a historic peri-urban settlement on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Settled in 1632, Tai O is distinguished by its densely packed ‘stilt houses’. Over the years, ‘boat people’ living here have experienced colonial-era geopolitical shifts that have altered policy rhetoric oriented towards Tai O and similar settlements, transitioning from ‘slums to be cleared’ to contemporary calls to ‘conserve its cultural heritage’. Positioned between architectural and urban studies, and between political geography and sociology, this research draws upon Lefebvre’s The Urban Revolution to understand legacy settlements in the context of global urbanisation; Turner’s examination and explication of informal settlements; and Anderson’s studies of boat people. The findings demonstrate Tai O’s evolving relationship to its geopolitical context, advancing research on stilt housing morphology and spatial practices, boat people’s socio-spatial practices and comparisons with other settlement patterns. They also illuminate how Tai O residents negotiate, conserve and manage the village’s cultural assets throughout developmental changes. The research methods included an extensive literature and archival review, a novel physical survey using 3D scanning and ethnographic studies that recorded stilt house residents’ oral histories. The research was disseminated through lectures, exhibitions, academic papers and community engagements. The findings elucidate the distinctive physical interconnections, customary spatial sharing and interhousehold negotiations that distinguish stilt housing; how toleration, solidarity, household autonomy and social codependence are highly valued by stilt house inhabitants, who connect these values to stilt housing conditions; the evolution of spatial sharing practices distinct from the formalised and spatially delineated context of late capitalist land-use planning; and knowledge exchange and engagement within Tai O’s resident community, which has mobilised the identification of and advocacy for its cultural assets.