Yim Tin Tsai
Performing Arts Festival 2025:
Island Echoes, Salt Whispers
Island Echoes, Salt Whispers
Site-specific musical installation
Hong Kong-born composer Kenneth Li journeys to Yim Tin Tsai, crafting site-specific melodies that echo the island’s layered history and quiet soul. Through immersive sound installations woven into the landscape, music flows like memory—guiding visitors on a contemplative voyage through salt, silence, and song.
Date & Time
7, 11,12 October 2025
Whole day
Programme & Location
Her Hill Song | Kaito Ferry
Non-unringable | History Centre (Ching Po School)
Unrequited | Century-old Camphorwood
A Pinch of Samba | Saltpans
The Sepia Toned Paraklesis | Ancestral Home
About Yim Tin Tsai Performing Arts Festival 2025
YTTPAF, a vibrant cultural event, debuts this year on Yim Tin Tsai, a Hakka island with 300 years of heritage. By featuring local and overseas talent, this festival combines history, nature, and contemporary art through various drama, dance, music, and visual art installations. It encourages visitors to experience the island’s distinct character. Curator Chan Chung Yan, a local ninth-generation performer and advocate, spearheads the festival, which bridges the community and world through art. The festival not only revitalizes the island, but also unites villagers to advance cultural heritage and growth together. Respecting local stories and nature, her curatorial view promotes artistic collaboration, aiming to transform Yim Tin Tsai into a performing arts island. The Jubilee year 2025 is themed 'Pilgrims of Hope,' emphasizing peace and hope amidst challenges. Continuing its theme, this year's YTTPAF calls artists and the public to join as Yim Tin Tsai pilgrims. Hope within them transforms into the will to act.
About Yim Tin Tsai
In 1997, the last resident family left Yim Tin Tsai, and the island gradually fell into silence and decay. In 2005, villagers returned to their ancestral home, restored the chapel, and received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation. By 2015, salt production was successfully revived, bringing back Yim Tin Tsai’s signature sea salt. In 2025, Yim Tin Tsai Performing Arts Festival will be hosted here, breathing new artistic life into its serene landscape. The chapel has been restored, the salt pans are once again in operation, and the Jade-Girdle Bridge has been extended. Ching Po School has been transformed into a heritage exhibition center. Several Hakka village houses have been renovated—one now serves as a pottery studio, while another has become private residence. The former residence of St. Joseph Freinademetz has been transformed into a Chinese eatery. A monument in his honor now stands on the site of the Chan ancestral home. On this island rich in Hakka traditions, Catholic heritage, and historical charm, 3 indoor venues and 7 outdoor spaces will be set up for performances during the arts festival. Amid the timeless beauty of Yim Tin Tsai, may art gently awaken every soul, and offer each visitor a quiet sanctuary of peace and inspiration.
