J-emine's reflexionando

My last visit to Wong Tai Sin was back in 1999 with BFF and her sister. 12 years latter we found ourselves back to the temple, which has underwent various changes and constructions in the past few years.

During tea with two separate groups of local friends, they quoted in unison how commercialized the temple has become and one cited it being a ‘cyber temple’ due to the extension of a new hall of worship, which we didn’t even knew existed. As most people would only pay their visits to the three main hall of worship. I reckon we didn’t look like tourists, hence we weren’t nudge into the new hall (entrance fees required) by the temple attendants. The new hall, I latter came to learn about makes use of the latest technology and ALL worshipping is done electronically. How bizarre! Read more here.

At the back of the temple, there are two long corridors lined with small fortune- telling booths, as one walk along the corridor there are loud gesticulation for you to sit down and allow them to decipher your divination lot or read your fortune through the 8-characters or palmistry. We saw few booths with sliding doors and people queuing outside for their turn, young females to be exact. I suppose it’s the pictures of the fortune tellers with well-known HK celebrities hanging on the door that attracts the good business. Good branding or accurate readings, what do you reckon?

To cut it short, we got our readings done as well and let’s just say this was the hilarious lowdown of our trip, not so much due to the revelation but the screwball fortune reader that we met. He was a total riot, who claimed he was the descendants of 刘伯温 and embarrassed the shit out of BFF when he spoke on the top of his lungs his predictions for her. If there was a hole, she would’ve climb in. And, if there was other people around (we were lucky the queues was not at his end of the corridor) , I would have gone down with her as well.

Note to self:Never choose the first and last booth at fortune- teller alley of Wong Tai Sin

Still, it was good fun and beats having eerie encounters any day!