In the past
pearls were very abundant here.
Pearl hunting had been a major industry in
Tai Po from the
Han dynasty. In the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, a king of Southern Han changed the name of Tai Po to
Mei Chuen To () and ordered an aggressive cultivation effort, which led to many fatalities amongst the pearl hunters. The hunting lasted until the
Ming dynasty, when the pearl oysters were nearly extinct in the area. ==Transportation==