Mermaid from Tai O

Born and bred in urban Hong Kong, Mermaid moved from the city to Tai O (大澳), an old fishing town in the southwest of Hong Kong in 2010. On this land with old legends of mermaids, she has discovered amazing fishing villagers' food culture and ingredients of traditions. Walking between stilt houses built on water, she found herself fascinated by the local specialities sold at the many dried seafood shops in the village. Ranging from aromatic salted fish, preserved shrimp paste, to sundried scallops, squid, octopus, fish roes, fish maw and more, Tai O's dried seafood compose the essential 'colours, aromas & flavours' (色香味) in fishing villagers' daily home cooking.

​

One of the fishing villagers, Mermaid is an Independent Research Scholar in Cultural Studies & Interdisciplinary Humanities.

Her PhD (2017) focused on Community Theatre Workshopping and Cultural Representations of Community Identities. On the land she now calls her new home of relocation, she's also sharing diaspora food arts and joy as a professionally-trained Food Stylist and Photographer. Mermaid currently resides near the water in the North America and Western Europe. (She swims across the Atlantic sometimes!)