Burned-out young people in Hong Kong are escaping to the peaceful island of Peng Chau

Burned-out young people in Hong Kong are escaping to the peaceful island of Peng Chau

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Something clicked instantly for Zero Chan when she first set foot on the island of Peng Chau, a short ferry ride from Hong Kong's central business district, at a time when she was feeling burnt out and recovering from illness.

"When I take the ferry back, it's like a cleansing ritual," the former film producer told Reuters. "I can fall asleep, read or do my own thing on the ferry. I already feel recharged."

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Craftsman Jesse Yu, 32, crosses on a ferry to Victoria Harbour, with the financial district seen in the background.

The island offers valuable middle ground for some like Chan, who seek to leave behind the stress accumulated from events such as pro-democracy protests in 2019, a national security crackdown that followed, and more recently, strict curbs against COVID-19.

These changes have reshaped life in the global financial hub, driving hundreds of thousands to leave for Britain, Canada and Taiwan, but Chan has stayed on.

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Zero Chan chats with participants during a meditation session, on Peng Chau island.

"At a time when many say Hong Kong is no longer the same as before, the more I feel a need to stay, to see what I can do," said Chan, who runs a yoga and meditation studio in her home on the island, following that first visit in 2020.

Her customers are a sprinkling of housewives, office workers and retired people. Each morning, she eats breakfast and drinks tea at a white cast-iron table facing the sea, collecting her thoughts for the day.

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Hong Kong's skyline is seen from Peng Chau island.

"People need space, but there's so much noise in the city," added the 36-year-old devotee of Buddhism and Zen. "I'm very happy now."

Some experts say a growing trend of alternative communities can be linked to protest episodes in 2014 and 2019 that railed against China's tightening grip on the former British colony.

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Zero Chan holds a meditation session on Peng Chau island.

"These social events are important catalysts," said Ng Mee-kam, a professor of urban studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"In the face of all these changes, all these tensions and all these conflicts, I think it's inevitable that people of all generations have to reflect on what's going on, and what life means."

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Zero Chan and Yu canoe near Peng Chau island.

Newcomers drawn by an idyllic lifestyle and low rents in one of the world's priciest property markets are rejuvenating Peng Chau, reversing an exodus in the 1970s as fortunes waned in the area, once home to Hong Kong's biggest matchstick factory.

Many dilapidated village homes have been renovated, and deserted concrete husks such as the Fook Yuen leather factory have been converted into a "secret garden" art space featuring graffiti and installation works.

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Zero Chan prays during the Hungry Ghost Festival, on Peng Chau island.

Cafes, boutiques and an independent bookshop have sprouted beside traditional Chinese temples, family-run shops and diners.

"My woodwork teacher recently came to visit me," said Jesse Yu, who moved to the island to pursue the dream of being a carpenter.

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Yu walks his dogs with his girlfriend, on Peng Chau island.

"He was quite amazed and asked me whether we young people can really survive on dreams," added Yu, whose workshop, tucked behind a bed in his studio flat, is about 100 sq. ft (9.3 sq m), or just big enough for two people to stand in.

"My dream is just a wall away from me," added Yu, who works freelance in corporate communications and sometimes goes kayaking with Chan, a good friend.

"I enjoy doing woodwork because of the freedom."

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Taki Chan picks up a stuffed bear to air out, on Peng Chau island.

Yet, despite a growing trend of seeking out quieter lifestyles on islands as well as villages in the rural New Territories, such spaces are threatened by big new development projects, said Ng, the academic.

"The frontiers for the younger generation to have the space to explore these alternative lifestyles is diminishing, so I think we, as a society, need to be very careful," she added.

. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Stuffed bears and clothes air out in a park, on Peng Chau island.

Taki Chan, a college lecturer who moved to the island this year, prizes its close-knit sense of community.

She rapidly became friends with a group of women met during a walk, after the experience cheered her up sufficiently to join them in a swim, despite feeling unwell.

"After moving to Peng Chau, I realised I don't need to emigrate anymore," Chan said.

"There are many resources here to help rejuvenate you, its people, its natural and quiet environment."

(Photography by Tyrone Siu; Reporting by Jessie Pang and Tyrone Siu; Photo editing by Eve Watling and Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson; Text editing by James Pomfret and Clarence Fernandez; Layout by Eve Watling)

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Slideshow

A woman lies near the seashore, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

A woman lies near the seashore, on Peng Chau island.

Yu works in a workshop in the alley behind his apartment, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Yu works in a workshop in the alley behind his apartment, on Peng Chau island.

Yu works in a workshop in the alley behind his apartment, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Yu works in a workshop in the alley behind his apartment, on Peng Chau island.

Zero Chan holds a singing bowl during a meditation session, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Zero Chan holds a singing bowl during a meditation session, on Peng Chau island.

Fish hang on a branch to dry, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Fish hang on a branch to dry, on Peng Chau island.

Children play at a playgroup class, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Children play at a playgroup class, on Peng Chau island.

The abandoned Sing Lei Hap Gei Lime Kiln factory is seen, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

The abandoned Sing Lei Hap Gei Lime Kiln factory is seen, on Peng Chau island.

A general view of Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

A general view of Peng Chau island.

Mouse FX, a reggae singer living on Peng Chau, performs at a bookstore on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Mouse FX, a reggae singer living on Peng Chau, performs at a bookstore on Peng Chau island.

People take part a reggae music event at a bookstore, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

People take part a reggae music event at a bookstore, on Peng Chau island.

Participants walk in the Tin Hau parade, the biggest festival on Peng Chau island which celebrates the birth of the sea goddess, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Participants walk in the Tin Hau parade, the biggest festival on Peng Chau island which celebrates the birth of the sea goddess, on Peng Chau island.

A woman stretches on the beach as she takes part in a meditation session, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

A woman stretches on the beach as she takes part in a meditation session, on Peng Chau island.

People board a ferry, on Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

People board a ferry, on Peng Chau island.

Yu talks to teacher and yoga centre founder Taki Chan, on a ferry heading to Central in Hong Kong.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Yu talks to teacher and yoga centre founder Taki Chan, on a ferry heading to Central in Hong Kong.

Yu smiles on a ferry heading to Central in Hong Kong.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Yu smiles on a ferry heading to Central in Hong Kong.

The sun sets behind an island near Peng Chau island.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

The sun sets behind an island near Peng Chau island.

Yu has dinner at his childhood home in Hong Kong.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Yu has dinner at his childhood home in Hong Kong.

Residential buildings are seen outside Jesse Yu's childhood home in Hong Kong.
. Hong Kong, China. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Residential buildings are seen outside Jesse Yu's childhood home in Hong Kong.