As Asia’s World City, Hong Kong embodies the best of cosmopolitan living. Yet, many of the city’s residents still practice unusual customs steeped in tradition and superstition. While some of these rituals may seem rather odd to those unfamiliar with Chinese culture, they actually reflect an interesting system of Chinese beliefs that have survived through the centuries. Below, we highlight a few of these intriguing cultural habits and the rationale behind them.
Feng Shui
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that harnesses invisible energy forces to bring individuals and their surroundings into harmony. Traditionally, it was performed with a compass or other geomantic tools to read the magnetic fields of a space to then determine an auspicious spot for placing anything from buildings and tombs to furniture. It was believed that this would usher in good qi (flow of energy), ultimately leading to good fortune. Modern feng shui has evolved into incorporating style and design, like the use of bright colours to elevate one’s energy levels and decorating a living space in a style that brings joy and prosperity to home and business owners.
Interesting fact: The HSBC main building is one example of feng shui practice. It was built off the ground floor with a hollow atrium that allows for ample qi to pass through the building.
Villain hitting
If you’ve ever seen a group of elder women slapping pieces of papers against a brick with a slipper under the Canal Road flyover in Causeway Bay, you might have wondered what sorcery they were up to. In Chinese culture, villain hitting is a folk incantation that “beats” villains and fends off vengeful enemies, jealous mistresses and wicked bosses. Although perhaps purely for the superstitious, perhaps this odd and amusing Chinese ritual remains popular in the city because of the catharsis one gets from watching a material representation of his or her enemy being ‘beaten’ with gusto.
Burning Gucci paper crafts for the dead
Building on the theory that the dead live a second life after passing, the practice of burning fake paper money, also known as joss paper, and paper-crafted objects is a traditional Chinese ritual of offering financial and material resources to deceased relatives and loved ones in the afterlife. These rituals are most commonly held at funerals, on an ancestor’s birthday and during important holidays such as the Qing Ming Festival and the Hungry Ghost Festival. Such offerings can be found in paper-craft stores across the city, where you can find everything your ghostly loved one might, be it iPhones, Gucci handbags or the latest Lamborghini.
Interesting fact: In 2006, Gucci sent several cease and desist letters to Hong Kong shopkeepers on the basis of infringing on intellectual property rights. The major luxury brand later apologised and withdrew the legal action.
Washing your dishes before a meal (a dim sum ritual)
Seat yourself at any traditional dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong, and you’ll find yourself facing a server approaching the table wielding a pitcher of hot water and an empty bowl within a matter of seconds. A practice virtually unheard of in upscale Michelin-starred restaurants, nevertheless it’s a gesture that any yum cha-goer will immediately understand. The bowl is the receptacle to pour out the discarded water used to clean bowls and utensils. Yes – diners rinse their own bowls and utensils at their table before their meal. Even though it is expected that everything would have already been washed before arriving at the dining table, it is still a habit that brings hygienic peace of mind to patrons.
Superstitious gifts
Hongkongers strongly believe in superstitions, so much so that any gift-giving involves careful consideration and a rigid symbolic system. For example, sharp objects and the anything containing the number four (a word whose Chinese pronounciation is similar to the word “die”) can signify harm or even death. Inversely, presenting a gift with the lucky colour red or referencing the number eight heralds good fortune to the lucky recipient.
Interesting fact: The 2008 Beijing Olympics kicked off its opening ceremony on 8 Aug, 2008 (8-8-2008) at 8pm.
Fortune Telling
Unlike Western depictions of fortune telling that features a crystal ball or a deck of tarot cards, in Chinese society, fortune telling operates more on the mathematical calculations of one’s fate and auspicious future based on the examination of his or her facial and body structure, shape and complexion. The use of astrology, calendars and bone and palm reading, as well as dream analysis, are all further techniques of performing this Chinese form of geomancy. If you are curious as to learn what destiny has in store for you in the year to come, perhaps a visit to one of the countless local soothsayers is in order.