大澳是香港大都會之中，一條有逾百年歷史的漁村水鄉。由於整個大澳漁村社區被海圍繞，因此漁村之中有很多建於水上的木製棚屋，過百多來船隻小艇在村中穿梭往來，形成獨特的漁村生活特色，享有香港「東方威尼斯」美譽。
昔日的大澳原居民，經常利用一種叫「舢舨」的小艇為來往棚屋的交通工具，同時出入大澳鄰近地方。居民會站在舢舨上左右搖擺一支木製的櫓以推動船隻，此划艇方式稱之為「搖櫓」。隨着時代發展，大澳漁村增添橋樑、渡輪和車輛等其他交通工具供居民出入，船隻亦逐漸改用由引擎運作。單靠人力划動的搖櫓舢舨亦隨之減少。然而，有大澳居民卻執意保留這種逐漸被時代淘汰的搖櫓舢舨。
67歲的大澳居民黃文江至今仍堅持搖櫓舢舨，經常與家人和遊客暢遊大澳，他分享小時候用搖櫓舢舨捉魚的喜悅，並說大澳不少傳統習俗跟舢舨搖櫓有着密不可分的關係，婚嫁葬禮儀式也缺不了搖櫓舢舨。
大澳文化協會主席黃志泉和董事蘇添明近年亦致力保存和介紹搖櫓舢舨，還開辦搖櫓班，教授新一代如何擺動控制搖櫓，讓舢舨於水上遊弋，藉此希望大澳水鄉的搖櫓舢舨不會被遺忘，他們亦深信傳統搖櫓代表著大澳居民多年來刻苦勤奮，卻又悠然自得的生活態度。
採訪及攝製團隊：區詠珊、周靖兒、蔡穎琳、何子澄
指導老師：蘇啟智
Oar Rowing in Tai O Fishing Village
Tai O is a fishing village with a history of more than a century in Hong Kong. Since the fishing village is surrounded by sea, there are many wooden stilt houses and boats creating a unique fishing village lifestyle. Tai O is therefore known as Hong Kong’s “Venice of the East”.
In the past, Tai O’s indigenous residents always used a small boat called “sampan” as a means of transportation to their stilt houses or the nearby areas of Tai O. Residents would stand on a sampan and swing a wooden oar from side to side to push the boat. This rowing method is called “oar rowing”. As time changes, residents can use other transportation tools, such as bridges, ferries and vehicles, and sampans have been switched to engine operation. Fewer people operated sampans solely on manpower. However, some Tai O residents insist on preserving oar rowing which is gradually being abolished by the times.
Wong Man-kwong, a 67-year-old resident of Tai O, still operates sampan by oar rowing to travel around Tai O with tourists and his family. He recounted the joy of catching fish with sampan and oar rowing when he was a child. He also said that there is an inseparable relationship between the traditional customs of Tai O and sampans with oar rowing, especially for wedding or funeral ceremonies.
Besides, Tai O Cultural Association’s Chairman Wong Chi-chuen and the Director Timmy So Tim-ming have also been committed to preserving and introducing sampan and oar rowing. They opened oar rowing classes to teach the new generation how to control the sampan. They hope that sampans and oar rowing in Tai O will not be forgotten, and they firmly believe that oar rowing represents the bustle yet leisurely life attitude of Tai O residents over the years.
