Seeking good fortune at Wong Tai Sin Temple

Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of Hong Kong's best known cultural landmarks. The temple is named after a Taoist follower who achieved enlightenment and became immortal. Today the deity is said to grant wishes and ward off evil, all under the premise that "every wish can come true". Worshippers from near and far flock to Wong Tai Sin Temple to pray for their wishes to be granted. In keeping with the deity's reputation for divine guidance, fortune tellers have set up shop all around the temple to read visitors' fortunes.

A typical visit to the temple goes something like this: Followers seek out the deity through the use of joss sticks. These numbered sticks are packed into bamboo cylinders. Worshippers kneel in front of the temple altar and shake a cylinder until a stick falls out. A number on the stick corresponds to a piece of paper with a fortune written on it, which is then interpreted by one of the fortune tellers. This month marks the busiest time of the year at Wong Tai Sin Temple. On the eve of Chinese New Year (February 6), worshippers queue for hours outside the temple until the stroke of midnight, when they rush to the main altar with burning joss sticks to pray for good fortune in the coming lunar year.

Wong Tai Sin Temple is actually part of a compound of religious buildings and grounds. Even though the temple itself is less than 100 years old, its architecture is strictly traditional, with ornamental red columns, a gold roof and colourful carvings, and the entire grounds were built with feng shui in mind. There are also halls dedicated to Buddhism and Confucianism, including an impressive rare collection of scriptures, a Good Wish Garden with ponds, an artificial waterfall, pavilions, a replica of the Nine Dragons Relief and a clinic for both Western and Chinese medicinal treatments.

Open 7am-5.30pm, except for Chinese New Year when the temple is open 24 hours. Free admission. Donations accepted. MTR: Wong Tai Sin, exit B2 and then a three minute walk following the signs.