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Tai O () is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The village name means large inlet, referring to for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai O River) merges as it moves through Tai O.
Tai O is one of five villages of Lantau that were resettled when the coastal restriction of the Great Clearance was lifted in 1669. The other villages are Tung Sai Chung, Lo Pui O, Shek Pik and Mui Wo.
At nearby Fan Lau, a fort was built in 1729 to protect shipping on the Pearl River. Smuggling of guns, tobacco, drugs and people remains a documented illegal activity both into and out of mainland China.
When the British came to Hong Kong, Tai O was known as a Tanka people village. A naval engagement between British and USA naval forces against Chinese piracy was fought in 1855.
At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Shek Tsai Po of Tai O was 118; the number of males was 71. The population of Tai O, both land and boat based, was 7,661; the number of males was 4,318.
During and after the Chinese Civil War, Tai O became a primary entrypoint for illegal immigration for those escaping from the People's Republic of China. Some of these immigrants, mostly Cantonese people, stayed in Tai O, and Tai O attracted people from other Hong Kong ethnic groups, including Hoklo people (Hokkien) and Hakka people.
Tai O has a history of salt production. In 1940, it was recorded that the Tai O were covering and that the production has amounted to 25,000 (1,512 Tonne) in 1938. (reprint of article by S.Y Lin, originally from The Hong Kong Naturalist, 1940)
Currently the fishing lifestyle is dying out. While many residents continue to fish, it barely provides a subsistence income. There is a public school on the island and most young people move away when they come of age. In 2000, a large fire broke out destroying many residences. The village is now mostly squatters huts and dilapidated stilt houses.
The traditional salted fish and shrimp paste are sold at storefronts in Tai O. For a small fee, some residents will take tourists out on their boats along the river and for short jaunts into the sea. Many tourists come to Tai O specifically to take these trips to see Chinese white dolphins, also known as "Pink Dolphins". It is also a good place to see the sunset.
Old Tai O Police Station, a Grade II historic building, has been turned into a boutique hotel called Tai O Heritage Hotel by Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation. The hotel has nine rooms and a restaurant. The hotel has been open and operational since 2012.
Tai O Rural Committee Historic and Cultural Showroom, located within the centuries-old fishing village of Tai O, exhibits relics of the local community's past, including fishing tools and dismantled old structures. The showroom was founded by the Tai O Rural Committee and all the items in its collection were donated by local residents.
Most of Lantau Island, Tai O included, is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 98, which contains multiple aided schools on Lantau Island, including two in Tung Chung; no government primary schools are in this net.
There are ferry piers on Tai O, close to Tai O Bus Terminus. It operates daily as the following routes connecting Tai O:
A 2021 Hong Kong drama Ossan's Love by ViuTV starring Edan Lui and Anson Lo is set in Tai O.
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