‘Stay vigilant even in peace,’ Hong Kong rural leader says in Lunar New Year prophecy

Hong Kong must stay vigilant in times of peace and embrace innovation, according to a prophecy drawn by the city’s top rural leader during an annual Lunar New Year ritual.

Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, chairman of powerful rural body the Heung Yee Kuk, drew a “neutral” stick for Hong Kong at Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin on the second day of the Year of the Horse on Wednesday and offered his interpretation of the prophecy.

The No 22 fortune stick read: “Do not get close to a woodcarver husband; judge people by their good and evil deeds. Never forget righteousness when seeing benefits and beware of non-benevolence in the midst of benevolence.”

The prophecy referred to a story from The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars about Ding Lan, an orphan from the Han dynasty (206BC-AD220) who carved wooden statues of his parents and served them as if they were alive. Later, his wife burned the statues, or in another version she pierced the statues with needles, and an enraged Ding divorced her.

Lau offered his interpretation of the prophecy after the ceremony, calling on the city to remain vigilant amid complex geopolitical tensions.