The Oldest Junk Boat Left In Hong Kong
202,878
Published 2024-03-08
For Hong Kong’s Tanka people, living aboard their fishing vessels was common practice. Junk boats used to be a common sighting in Hong Kong’s waters but as the city modernised the junks began to disappear. Dukling itself sank in 2014 and its stories could have been lost to history forever. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Captain Ng and others, the Dukling was given a second chance.
The Dukling is now the only authentic Junk boat that is publicly accessible in Hong Kong. Visitors can enjoy a nostalgic ride in Victoria Harbor while gazing at the city’s glorious skyline.
#HongKong #Travel #History
00:00 Boats Boats Boats
00:24 Junks' History in Hong Kong
01:46 The Dukling
04:07 Sinking
04:51 Repair
05:25 Maintenance
06:42 Open For Business
07:55 In One Word
LEAD PRODUCER: CHRIS AGATHANGELOU
EDITOR: STEVE KELLY
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES GOLDMAN
LOCAL SHOOTING PRODUCERS: DOMINIC LAI & HIN NG PAK
ARCHIVE: ALAMY, DUKLING, HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD & POND5
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All Comments (21)
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Would you take a ride on the Dukling? 👀⛵
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With the floating restaurant gone, this should become an historical cultural treasure even when sailing her becomes difficult...dock her and become a museum
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We might call it junk but we know this boat is a treasure
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I sailed on her when I was like 4-5. One of my first memories back in early 1990s was of my entire family puking over the side, including various aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Apparently I made it through just fine and the captain said I had 'sea legs' lol. I've since stuck to the Star Ferry instead of the junk!
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When I was in the USN i had a junk boat built in Hong Kong for $42000 USD as in 1977 no one wanted one and boat builders were struggling to stay in business it was built of teak great construction, had an engine along I sailed it to the philippines where I was stationed I had a great time with it for a few years until i got out of the USN sold it to a fellow servicemember for 45,000 i always wonder what happened to it..great
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I’m shocked that even after being sunk for half a year, they were able to restore it! 😮 a true labor of love - I can’t imagine all the work!
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I remember how prevalent junk boats were with Hong Kong. It's sad how there's only one left today!
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Unique antique which can be visited by the public & enjoy fabulous views of Victoria Harbor!
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"Duck" was the best.
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Love that The Big Story has come back and we need to keep these junk boats alive! My one word would be: “cool” for sure.
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One man's junk is another man's treasure
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This is something that the gov should do to preserve and protect its cultural heritage.
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Awesome! I mean these boats are so iconic. A shame there's only a few left and that this is the oldest one. And that there's only a few places that can repair/restore it as well.
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I was born in HK and went back once in 1980 for a visit. Nice to see my old home and see some history about it.
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The Dukling of Theseus
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1955!? Those pictures made it seem much older lol
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The junk introduced numerous innovations, including the sternpost rudder, watertight bulkheads, and the bilge pump. In fact, Ben Franklin mentions bulkheads, suggesting that a certain ship, since it would mostly be for cargo and not passengers, should be built with the compartments caulked shut "in the Chinese manner."
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How wonderful and interesting. It brings great joy to visitors and captain along with its homage to the harbor. Simply beautiful
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like the neon lights, these junk boats are part of HK's boomtime history and the administration should at least keep some of them around at all cost!
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The old man driving the boat with the support of the young man in the fancy suit are the HKers keeping the spirit of HK alive
