Feng shui, fortune-tellers and zodiac signs: young Hongkongers seek solace in superstition
Searching for answers in tarot cards and palm reading becoming popular among generation not necessarily tied to any religion
With a stack of tarot cards in his hands, Alanstair Lau Siu-yu takes a deep breath and asks the young woman sitting opposite him to shuffle them.
The pair are in a cafe in Tsuen Wan and the woman has recently left a long-term relationship. She has come to see the 26-year-old to ask for guidance on what to do next. She hands the deck back to Lau, who pulls out a card and focuses.
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“You need to take the time to allow yourself to heal,” he tells her. “It may not be the smartest move to jump into another relationship just yet.”
The woman paid HK$50 (US$6) per question for Lau’s advice. And she is not alone among members of her generation who are increasingly turning to the city’s fortune-tellers for help with everyday problems.
Experts in Hong Kong say this shift towards traditional practices often considered mysterious and occult is a global phenomenon among a generation that views authority and belief very differently to their parents.