The Chan’s ancestors of Yim Tin Tsai came out from Guanlan, China, the Chan couple first moved to Yantiancun and finally settled at Yim Tin Tsai. They had three sons and raised ten generations on the island by harvesting salt, farming, fishing and raising livestock.

In 1880, the villagers turned Catholic. With the introduction of Catholicism to the island, the villagers learned about the western culture earlier than others. Some villagers became priests and nuns who contributed to the spread of the Gospel of Catholicism in Hong Kong. During the Japanese invasion in 1940s, talents of that generation unfortunately sacrificed.

Built in 1890, the St. Joseph’s Chapel in the Village is the origin of the development of Catholic in Hong Kong. The chapel was renovated in 1948, 1962 and 2004. The Feast Day of St. Joseph in May each year attracts many villagers, Catholics, and tourists to the island in recent decades.

Ching Po School, founded in 1920, was the first and the only school in the Village. In the early 1960s, it was the only school that provided English lessons in ninety-nine villages of the Sai Kung region.

In early 1800s, because arable lands on the island were not sufficient to feed the increased population, the villagers cleared the wild area for cultivation on Kau Sai Chau, the island nearby. The cultivation area further extended to Sharp Island and other small islands nearby, that all became part of the Yim Tin Tsai Village. When the boat people wanted to bury their deceased family members in those areas, they had to get permission from the village chief beforehand.

In 1960s, a foreigner built a house in the village area on the Sharp Island, and he was then the only outsider having such permission from the village chief. In those days the recession hit the economy, many villagers moved out from the island to earn their livings in other parts of the Hong Kong territories. Some participated actively in public affairs or educational services in Hong Kong.

Most moving-out villagers migrated to Europe especially the United Kingdom and working in the catering industry. Most members of the new generations were nurtured and raised well, quite a number of them become professionals. A few other villagers did move to Guangzhou, the southeast Asia, the South America, the US, Canada and etc.

Built in 1950, the Jade-Girdle Bridge connects Yim Tin Tsai and Kau Sai Chau. Before the erection, it was risky for villagers to commute on the sandbank between Yim Tin Tsai and Kau Sai Chau. In one incident, a lady villager travelling on the sandbank was drowned when the high tides came. After that tragedy, villagers determined to build a path in concrete on the sandbank to prevent any reoccurrence. Villagers including elderly and children worked hard together for more than a year to build the “bridge”. Being stroked by waves and weather in decades, the bridge had been damaged several times. It was repaired and heightened in 1970. The Hong Kong government also appropriated millions of dollars for further repairment in 2000.

In early 1960s, besides recession there were also droughts, villagers suffered from lack of water supply. With donation of construction materials from Kadoorie and others, and using more than a year’s time, villagers built a reservoir on Kau Sai Chau to supply fresh water back to the island. Not only did it resolve the water supply problem for the villagers, but also it brought convenience for fishermen living in Sai Kung when there was drought. The cement paths on the island were also the villagers’ hard work to tackle the slippery and muddy floor when it rained.

Oil lamps were replaced by electric lights in 1970s. In 1980s, moved-out villagers in other Hong Kong territories and in other countries together raised money to buy a ferry for villagers to commute between the island and Sai Kung town. The ferry symbolised the solidarity of villagers. The compilation of “pedigree of the clan” in late 1980s raised the awareness of their origin and connection between villagers and ancestors.