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Believe it or not!
Fortunetelling is alive and well in Hong Kong
People burn incense to show their gratitude to dieties. (Varsity file photo)
By Iris Cheng
There are common reasons people believe in the supernatural power of fortunetelling. For example, some want to seek help, while others are merely follow trends.
Dr. Scott Janet Lee is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Hong Kong Baptist University.
“People believe the gods can give them advice and help them make decisions,” she explained.
People find satisfaction and hope from religion. Going to temples with fruit and paper offerings is a way to participate in traditional Chinese religion.
Dr. Scott said, “People express their beliefs and gratitude to the gods by worshipping in temples.”
People misconceive females to be more superstitious. According to traditional values, women should get married earlier than men.
Hence, more women worry about their marriage and go to temples seeking advice.
Dr. Scott said that men believe in those practices as well. However, god worshipping is regarded as a domestic affair of the family, which women are usually responsible for.
According to her, no particular group of people is more likely to be superstitious than another. Age and level of education have little affect on one’s belief in fortunetelling.
Wong Chun Fu is a palmistry master who works on Temple Street.
He said that people come to him when they are unhappy and helpless.
“My customers trust and respect me. Some of them worship me as if I were a god, and they have high expectations of me,” said he.
Mr. Wong estimated that over 80 percent of people who believe in fortunetelling are female.
“Most of my female customers ask about their future companions,” said he.
He explained the Chinese yin-yang concept. Yin and yang are opposite forces in the universe. Yin represents darkness, moon and coldness, while yang represents brightness, sun and warmth.
“Females are yin and males are yang. So females are more likely to visit fortunetelling stalls which are only open at night,” said he.
According to this logic, more men would engage in fortunetelling if the stalls opened during daytime.
However, Mr. Wong did not respond to this hypothesis.
Mr. Wong said that his customers are aged 14 to 70. Over 70 percent are university graduates.
“I have columns in newspapers and magazines. Many media have reported about me.
“Therefore, people have confidence in my ability,” said he.
Besides, Mr. Wong said that fortunetellers must be eloquent.
This is beacuse what they say should be what the customers want to hear.
Even if their predictions are inaccurate, people are likely to believe them.
He said, “Fortunetelling is all about communication.”
Dr. Tso Wung Wai is an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
He said that fortuntellers actually do psychological analysis of their customers. They try to understand the customers’ minds from their words.
“If you want to test the palm readers’ power, don’t talk to them. Let them look at your palms and see if they can tell your past correctly.
“I’m sure the accuracy will be low,” he said.
Besides god worshipping and palmistry, people think that gemstones can also bring good fortune and help them overcome difficulties.
Dr. Tso said that this function of gemstones exists only because people are in need.
“They fail to solve their problems after trying almost all methods. Then they look for other solutions,” he said.
In addition, Dr. Tso said many shops sell gemstone accessories, and people wear them.
Local media create trends by reporting on the supernatural power of gemstones.
Dr. Tso explained the popularity of gemstones scientifically.
First, gemstones are quartz, a chemical with a high refractive index like diamonds, so they look shiny.
The dynamics of light rays within quartz stimulate people's senses. Thus, they superimpose their fates on them.
Secondly, gemstones come from nature. By chance, people may pick up a good gemstone with an appearance they like.
Hence, they associate this factor of serendipity with their good fortune.
Also, gemstones can be stored for years without deterioration. Therefore, they have a high collection value.
Dr. Tso said, “I don’t think gemstones can bring good fortune.”
He said that it is normal for people to try the practices of fortunetelling before they really believe in them.
According to him, it is important for one to analyze the methods used by the fortunetellers and the accuracy of the results before deciding whether to believe or not.