About
The junk sailboat, once a mainstay of Hong Kong and China's fishing and cargo industries, is now an endangered type. The iconic ships once used by Zheng He to explore Africa were once the lifelines and homes of the Tanka people ("Boat Dwellers"). However, in Hong Kong they have been completely replaced by modern fuel-powered ships, with most Tanka living on land.
The Dukling was built in Macau relatively late, around 1955. It was used as a shrimp fishing vessel. Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour was once filled with junks like the Dukling as late as the 1960s and 70s, however today the Dukling is the only one from that era left. (Two newer ones built originally for tourism also exist.) It too was almost lost after sinking in a typhoon in 2014. Thankfully, it was salvaged from the seabed and extensively restored by new owners. Today, the Dukling operates regular tours out of Tsim Sha Tsui East around Victoria Harbour.
