Advertisement
Feng shui, fortune-telling, exorcisms – a Chinese ghostbuster on curses, bad feelings in homes and the link between mental health and hauntings
- Ahead of this year’s Hungry Ghost Festival on August 30, we speak to a Hong Kong ghostbuster who uses Taoist practises to help spirits move on
- Andrew Kwan reveals how to recognise a house haunting, how he lifted a man’s skin-sloughing curse and what he did to help the ghost of an old Chinese gentleman
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
7
04:13
Hungry Ghost Festival: why you shouldn’t go out at night, swim and even hang laundry
Hungry Ghost Festival: why you shouldn’t go out at night, swim and even hang laundry
Andrew Kwan was born into the world of Chinese mysticism – his grandfather, from whom he learned his craft, was a fortune-teller at a temple and a Taoist.
Advertisement
“He passed away in my early 20s, just around the time when I needed more formal training. I went to learn fortune-telling and feng shui with other masters,” says Kwan, whose services include exorcism.
In popular culture, the exorcist has a dramatic role – he or she is one who banishes demons and devils from the mortal world. In Kwan’s world, the ethereal and the here and now are closely intertwined.
“Other religions take the stance that spirits or ghosts should not exist, hence they banish or destroy them,” Kwan says. “I practise the Luk Yam branch of Taoism, which takes a gentler approach. We deal with them and try our best to mediate the situation before taking any drastic measures.”
Fans of classic Hong Kong films will recognise titles such as Mr Vampire (1985), in which a swashbuckling Taoist armed with talismans and curses faces off against unruly vampires and ghouls.
Advertisement
Advertisement