Shek O Beach

This guide to Shek O Beach in Hong Kong looks past the sand to the fishing village behind it, founded by four clans - Chan, Yip, Li and Lau - and the once-a-decade purification festival they still hold, the Tai Peng Ching Chiu. It traces the 1919 loss of village land to a colonial golf club, and the community's quiet refusal to disperse afterward. For five days during the festival, the entire village goes vegetarian, restaurants included.