Wong Tai Sin Temple
A Taoist temple in Kowloon where visitors shake out bamboo fortune sticks and have the answer read by a diviner.
Practised and told of here
Best time: The first days of the lunar new year for crowds; weekday mornings for quiet.
Wong Tai Sin Temple is dedicated to a Taoist healer and immortal. It is one of the most visited temples in Hong Kong, and its row of fortune tellers' stalls is known across the city.
Kau chim
A worshipper kneels, shakes a cylinder of numbered sticks until one falls, and finds the matching printed verse. A fortune teller can interpret the poem for a fee. The practice is held to be a way to ask the god for guidance, and the verse is read in light of the question.
Fortune tellers and faces
The arcade by the temple has palm readers and face readers, and Temple Street Night Market, across Kowloon, has street readers too. Hong Kong's businesses commonly consult feng shui masters, and the temple remains a centre for it.
Visiting
Burn incense only as the temple instructs. The fortune stalls are public, but do not photograph a client mid-reading. Ask for the price before beginning, as stated prices vary.
A respectful visit to Wong Tai Sin Temple
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- The main hall Stand back and watch the kau chim being shaken.
- The Good Wish Garden Walk through the Chinese garden behind the temple.
- The fortune tellers' arcade Compare prices and styles and ask about languages.
- Temple Street See the night market's readers if the day allows.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Wong Tai Sin Temple" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kau chim: No machine-readable author provided. 9old9 assumed (based on copyright, Public domain, source