MUI WO, LANTAU ISLAND — As the ferry’s steel gangplank slams against the concrete pier, the day-trippers from Hong Kong suddenly surge forward and their enthusiasm pushes me towards the exit.
I quickly notice the passengers aren’t in a rush to see the sites of Mui Wo, though. Instead, they’re making their way to the bus terminal opposite where a fleet of coaches is waiting to take them to Lantau Island’s most popular tourist attractions — the hiking trails of Tung Chung, the Tian Tan Buddha at Ngong Ping and the stilted fishing village of Tai O. Because I’ve visited Tai O and the Big Buddha on previous visits to Lantau Island, I decide to stay behind and see what, if anything, Mui Wo has to offer.
The town, first settled during the Song Dynasty (960-1279AD), sits in the shadow of Lantau Island’s most famous mountain peaks and its tranquil Silvermine Bay is filled with lots of  fishing and pleasure boats. Legend has it that the last Song emperor was crowned in Mui Wo. Though that is likely myth, the imperial court, on the run from the Mongol invaders, did spend several months on Lantau.

Above: Mui Wo started out as a fishing village and remains a vibrant port.

As I make my way around the bay to a handsome building in the distance — the Silvermine Beach Resort — my attention is drawn to a group of ex-pats enjoying some adult beverages under a blistering afternoon sun. Mui Wo, which is located very near Hong Kong’s award-winning international airport, is favoured by airport and foreign airline staff because of its affordable housing and laid-back lifestyle.
The ex-pats (Brits and Aussies mostly) are only too happy to share their knowledge of the town, where less than 6,000 people call home.
“I’ve been living here of almost three years now and I’ll find it hard to leave when the time comes,” says Paul, a pilot for Cathay Pacific Airlines, who originally hails from Manchester, England.
Nigel, an Aussie, has studied up on Mui Wo’s rich history and eagerly tells me the nearby Silver River is where “lots of silver mines were once located along its banks.”
The silver mines dried up long ago and the Silver River, which snakes through the centre of Mui Wo, is now filled with discarded bikes and garbage. The town was also a site for salt production during the Song Dynasty — the salt companies finally closed shop in the 1980s.

Above: The Silver River was once lined with mines but now it contains discarded garbage.

From my terrace table at the Silvermine Beach Resort, I’m impressed by the beach that wraps around the bay and find it odd that so few people are enjoying its sugary soft sand and warm water.
“The beach is very crowded on weekends and holidays,” my server Joyce assures me before our conversation is suddenly interrupted by a flock of egrets that buzz my table while heading out to feast in the fish-rich bay.
Joyce tells me Mui Wo’s central market is a place I should visit — “it has very fresh fish caught in the bay and lots of souvenir shops.”
Because of its location, Mui Wo boasts many seafood restaurants that offer freshly caught delicacies plucked out of the bay.
“You cannot get a table on weekends because the tourists from Hong Kong come here and take over our little village,” she says.

Above: Mui Wo is a town of ancient alleys and ancient trees.

There are few tourist attractions in Mui Wo, but Joyce says the nearby Man Mo temple is worth a visit. It dates back to the reign of the Emperor Wanli (1573-1620).
“If you’re lucky,” says Joyce, “you may come face-to-face with one of our buffalo” — herds of cattle and water buffalo still roam the outskirts of the town that sits in the bosom of Lantau Island’s famed mountain range.
For those who stay behind and explore Mui Wo, it quickly becomes apparent that this is one town that comes with a silver lining.