Simplicity is happiness—strolling through Penghu to feel its genuine warmth

Text & Photos /Daneil Cheung

Everyone has their own aspirations. Some hope to hold great power and influence the world, while others prefer to live a simple and peaceful life. However, living in Hong Kong, a city with such a fast pace, how many people have the leisure to think about their dreams and way of life? And how many are truly living the life they want?

Upon arriving in Penghu, I discovered that its beauty lies not only in its tropical island sunshine, blue skies, and clear seas, but also in its simple lifestyle and warm-hearted people.

▲ Sister Li—the owner of a shell handicraft shop in Penghu.

She loves creating because it enriches life; she has a strong personality and won’t sell just for the sake of selling. If customers like her work, they can wait—if not, that’s fine too. She respects art, believing it is priceless and cannot be mass-produced, so she doesn’t do wholesale or open branches.

When asked about her entrepreneurial journey, Sister Li shared that she originally opened an art-themed café. The day after it opened, the 921 earthquake struck. Though the quake didn’t destroy her shop, the space was too small and the location not ideal, so the café closed within a year. She then started selling at street stalls, but frequent police harassment due to licensing issues led her to open this workshop, where she’s remained ever since.

Such simplicity, such beauty—having a little space of your own on your own land, how wonderful that is.




▲ Zhengzhong—the fourth-generation owner of a fishmongering business.

Zhengzhong’s father, Uncle Kunshan, was the owner of Xieyuan Fish Market in Penghu County, the largest live fish wholesaler in the region, also distributing to various parts of Taiwan. In fact, due to the shallow waters of the Taiwan Strait, Penghu enjoys abundant fishing yields—fish like grouper, dried squid, red snapper, squid, sea urchins, and grouper are all famously delicious.

By Zhengzhong’s generation, he didn’t stick to tradition but instead strived to develop new customer bases. He processes, freezes, and vacuum-packs Penghu seafood into convenient, portable, and gift-worthy products. The flower-patterned fish, called “Hui Gei Zai” in the local dialect, is a nickname for the humpback grouper of Penghu. Ah Zhong hopes to preserve local wisdom and the local way of life. He also enjoys creating—decorating his shop himself and even designing an edible postcard.
 

▲ Maluyi Barbecue Shop—fresh ingredients, honest and hearty.
No branch stores, sticking to their principles—simple and unadorned operations. Maluyi Barbecue Shop has been around for over 30 years. Sister Chen, the second-generation owner, has always upheld the principle of using fresh ingredients and putting care into preparation. “Our food here is all about natural flavor—we don’t add any chemicals—but as long as our customers are happy, we’re satisfied,” Sister Chen says proudly.

When she first took over, many regular customers doubted whether the traditional methods could be maintained. With a “make it work no matter what” spirit, Sister Chen not only retained the loyal patrons but also attracted a new crowd. Asked if she’d open branches elsewhere, Sister Chen replied firmly, “I want to preserve the brand my father left me. Just doing one thing honestly is enough.”

I remember when I was in elementary school, there was a TVB series called *Island Troopers*. The atmosphere on Peng Chau was simple, the lives of the locals unextravagant yet warm, and there was also Eason Chan’s theme song, which went: “Come, show a little more care for others, no fear of sudden storms, a thousandfold warmth in this world, because hands hold hands, if people show a little more compassion, light will surely appear, and even this world will be instantly touched by love…”

Walking the streets of Penghu, I felt that genuine sense of happiness—that old-fashioned small happiness of Hong Kong.

● Author: Daneil Cheung, a post-90s Hong Konger who calls himself a half-travel journalist. He hopes to travel the world and runs a personal blog titled “The Story of a Half-Travel Journalist” and aFacebook page.