editorial

A once-abandoned fishing village on a tiny island in the New Territories has been reborn as Hong Kong’s newest cultural attraction.
Photographs by James Louie
<figure id="attachment_144834" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144834" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144834 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Frankson-Mills-Foundry-Test-Pieces-and-Artist-Ian-Surridge.jpg" alt="Test pieces forged at Frankson Mills Foundry; the same studio’s founder Ian Surridge." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Frankson-Mills-Foundry-Test-Pieces-and-Artist-Ian-Surridge.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Frankson-Mills-Foundry-Test-Pieces-and-Artist-Ian-Surridge-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Frankson-Mills-Foundry-Test-Pieces-and-Artist-Ian-Surridge-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Frankson-Mills-Foundry-Test-Pieces-and-Artist-Ian-Surridge-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144834" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Test pieces forged at Frankson Mills Foundry; the same studio’s founder Ian Surridge.</figcaption></figure>
As late as the mid-1990s, Ma Wan Island produced what was said to be the tastiest shrimp paste in Hong Kong. City dwellers once made the journey on boats to its main village to savor the pungent condiment and feast on locally fished seafood. But the arrival of a new airport highway would spell the end of that idyllic existence, paving the way for large-scale development and relegating Ma Wan to a stepping stone between the city and Lantau Island.
Fourteen years after its last remaining residents were relocated, the island’s oldest settlement has made a dramatic comeback. <a href="https://www.mawan1868.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ma Wan 1868</a> recasts the former fishing village as an artists’ hub, with the derelict houses now gussied up in a rainbow of vivid colors by Sun Hung Kai Properties—the powerful real estate developer behind the nearby Park Island housing development and Noah’s Ark theme park.
Ma Wan 1868 differs from those projects in its intimate feel and emphasis on nurturing the creative community. Hong Kong residents can sign up for hands-on workshops to mold ceramics, decorate Turkish glass mosaic lamps, or, as at <a href="https://www.franksonmills.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frankson Mills Foundry</a>, cast pewter bag charms using the lost wax technique. The latter is run by South African–born sculptor Ian Surridge, a Ma Wan resident and naturalized Hong Kong citizen who set up the space after more than a decade teaching in the city’s schools. “Metal casting was always my passion,” he says. “When this place opened, it was a great opportunity for me to produce my own work instead of doing things for someone else.” Surridge uses oil clay, silicone molds, fine chisels, and a countertop kiln and furnace to make nature-themed keepsakes, some inspired by local fauna like wild boar and the ubiquitous Eurasian tree sparrow.
Animals also star in the inaugural showcase at the exhibition hall on Ma Wan Main Street, where <a href="https://www.amazhk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amaz Gallery</a> spotlights Hong Kong designer toy culture through whimsical pieces by Leon “LeonLollipop” Lai. His tongue-in-cheek giclée prints and soft vinyl figures of felines with human-like expressions strike a chord in a city where pet cats often double as the unofficial managers of traditional shops, some becoming celebrities in their own right. Global brands also recognize Lai’s talent; he has previously collaborated with the likes of Samsung, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Michael Kors.
<figure id="attachment_144837" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144837" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144837 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Amaz-Gallery-LeonLollipop-Cat-Artwork-and-Kap-Shui-Mun-Bridge.jpeg" alt="A print by local artist Leon “LeonLollipop” Lai; looking out at the Kap Shui Mun Bridge." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Amaz-Gallery-LeonLollipop-Cat-Artwork-and-Kap-Shui-Mun-Bridge.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Amaz-Gallery-LeonLollipop-Cat-Artwork-and-Kap-Shui-Mun-Bridge-300x224.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Amaz-Gallery-LeonLollipop-Cat-Artwork-and-Kap-Shui-Mun-Bridge-1024x763.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Amaz-Gallery-LeonLollipop-Cat-Artwork-and-Kap-Shui-Mun-Bridge-768x572.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144837" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A print by local artist Leon “LeonLollipop” Lai; looking out at the Kap Shui Mun Bridge.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_144838" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144838" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144838 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Urban-Farm-and-Mural-by-Bao-Ho.jpeg" alt="A small farm inside the village; the culture-themed mural A Little Song of the City by Bao Ho." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144838" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A small farm inside the village; the culture-themed mural A Little Song of the City by Bao Ho.</figcaption></figure>
A few steps away, artist Bao Ho’s mural A Little Song of the City surrounds a youthful version of Tin Hau—goddess of the sea—with a swirling assortment of dragon-boat paddlers, dragon dancers, bauhinias, and an anthropomorphic pineapple bun. The same building houses the sparsely furnished <a href="https://www.facebook.com/equatorpureland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alialand</a> boutique, whose themed displays change every three months. The inaugural “Boundless” collection includes naturally dyed clothes imprinted with the patterns of leaves and flowers, one-of-a-kind sculptures by woodcarver Ivan Wong Chung San, and meditative yet strikingly hued canvases that mark lantern designer Leo Tang’s first foray into oil painting.
For now, one of the few on-site dining options is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theshack.hk/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Shack</a>—a quiet waterfront café for contemplating the scenic Kap Shui Mun channel and its bridge over a flat white and hearty all-day breakfast. A similar view awaits at the first-floor <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lightgardencandles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lightgarden Workshop</a>, which has branched out from its original location in Kowloon’s post-industrial Kwun Tong district. “I was drawn to the scenery and the idea that Hong Kong creators would gather here in one place,” explains founder Lau Pui Shan. Her training in Korean aromatherapy and two decades’ experience show in the lineup of all-natural candles, bath and skincare products, reed diffusers, and hand-painted aroma stones resembling desserts and doe-eyed cats. Those seeking out perfume should swing by <a href="https://ainla.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ainla</a> on the far side of the village for its made-in-Hong Kong fragrances like Reverie, which delights the nose with notes of musk mallow, iris, and pear.
Soon to come is <a href="https://www.mawan1868.com/en/work-shop/kowloneon-threewitches/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kowloneon &amp; Three Witches</a>, a joint venture between glass painter Mari Liew and neon artist Jive Lau Ho Fai. Art-lovers will have even more reason to squeeze in an afternoon excursion from the city as other shops and studios open in the coming months. This being Hong Kong, Ma Wan is more accessible than one might think, with direct buses from several MTR stations and a 22-minute ferry service between Central and Park Island. For out-of-towners, the debut of the artists’ village means the island is no longer just a place one must pass through to get somewhere else. Ma Wan is back on the map.
<a href="https://www.mawan1868.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mawan1868.com</a>
<figure id="attachment_144851" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144851" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144851 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Waterfront.jpg" alt="Rainbow-hued village houses at Ma Wan 1868, which opened in March." width="1800" height="1200" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Waterfront.jpg 1800w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Waterfront-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Waterfront-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Waterfront-768x512.jpg 768w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Waterfront-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Ma-Wan-1868-Hong-Kong-Waterfront-1568x1045.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-144851" class="wp-caption-text">Rainbow-hued village houses at Ma Wan 1868, which opened in March.</figcaption></figure>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June/July 2025</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“In Living Color”). Buy a single issue or subscribe <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Rainbow-hued village houses at Ma Wan 1868, which opened in March.

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