Hong Kong to have ‘no success in gaining wealth’ during Year of the Pig, according to fortune stick drawn by pro-Beijing legislator Kenneth Lau
- Rural chief puts positive spin on less-than-ideal prophecy, and says ‘we need the public’s support for the government’s policies’
- One interpreter says omen drawn at annual event could refer to the administration's major building projects
A rural leader in Hong Kong drew a less-than-ideal prophecy for the city, foretelling struggles in the Year of the Pig, at a traditional fortune stick ritual in the New Territories on Wednesday.
But Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, also a pro-Beijing legislator, was quick to add a helpful spin, interpreting his fortune as meaning things would go well as long as people support the government.
He did not address the part of the omen which augured “no success in gaining wealth”, for a city largely focused on trade and finance.
Lau, who chairs powerful rural body the Heung Yee Kuk, officiated at the fortune stick drawing at Sha Tin’s Che Kung Temple.
The draw uses a bamboo cylinder containing 96 numbered sticks. Each stick refers to an omen, usually presented as four lines of text. Of the omens, 35 bode well, 17 bode ill, and 44 are neutral. During the ceremony, participants shake the cylinder. The first stick to fall out denotes their fortune.
The first stick to fall from Lau’s cylinder on Wednesday was No 86, a neutral one.
Written as a poem in Chinese, the omen roughly translated as: “One was happy to get a rocky field for business, and drew a bun, but it was not fragrant.
“Who knew the field was not cultivable, and the bun would not fill your stomach?”
“Be prudent when out and about, as there is inauspiciousness for the family. There is personal peace, but no success in gaining wealth.”
Be prudent when out and about, as there is inauspiciousness for the family. There is personal peace, but no success in gaining wealth
An official interpreter only deciphered the first line of the omen, saying Hong Kong had a good foundation.
“Hong Kong has a good environment to face challenges in the world,” he said.
“It means Hong Kong has a good foundation … but we need the public’s support for the government’s policies,” Lau said, adding that people should avoid conflict.
“In my understanding, it is a good omen.”
But another interpreter from outside the temple, surnamed Chan, disagreed with the official reading.
“Can you farm on a rocky field? Can you eat a drawing of a bun?” Chan asked.
In Chinese proverbs, eating a painted bun means comforting yourself with imaginary things.
Chan said the omen might refer to many infrastructure projects the government has planned, such as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s ambitious plan to house more than 1 million people on reclaimed land around Lantau Island. A government source has said the project could cost upwards of HK$500 billion (US$63.7 billion).
New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee was among hundreds of patrons at the temple on Wednesday.
Asked her political hopes for the coming year, the executive councillor urged Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po to roll out favourable policies in his upcoming budget.
“The ‘God of Fortune’ should know what to do with the budget plan to make everyone happy,” Ip said, using the colloquial name for the city’s finance minister.
The Chinese Temples Committee, which manages the temple, said more than 12,000 people had visited the site by noon on Wednesday.
