Discovering how generations of fishermen read the currents, wind, and sky
Canada Goose explores Natural Intelligence through the knowledge held in the rhythms of the natural world—and the wisdom passed from place to people.
In Tai O, one of Hong Kong’s oldest fishing villages built on stilts, that relationship is especially celebrated around the Mid-Autumn Festival, a seasonal harvest when the moon is its fullest and brightest.
During the the lunar festival, we traveled to the western coast of Lantau Island with actors Hedwig Tam and Leung “Bing” Chung-hang. While there, we explored how the moon’s influence on the tides has shaped daily life, craft, and tradition for centuries.
I came to appreciate that we do not always have to work against nature. Sometimes the deeper wisdom is knowing how to observe, adapt, and move with it.” – Leung Chung-hang
The expedition began with Hedwig and Bing witnessing how local fishermen anticipate the tides. They then joined a net-weaving workshop, a craft deeply embedded in everyday village life.
At a traditional wooden boatyard, local artisans showed how timber is selected and shaped into vessels built for the sea.
Guided by the currents, long read by generations before them, they sculled between the stilt houses, or pang uk, which were designed to accommodate the ebb and flow of the tides.
