A top rural leader drew a prophecy warning against acting “as a hero” during an annual Lunar New Year ritual on Wednesday, an admonition one local fortune-teller interpreted as a message to Hong Kong’s leader that she should not seek re-election.

Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, who chairs the powerful rural body Heung Yee Kuk, drew a “neutral” fortune stick during the traditional ceremony, held on the second day of the Year of the Tiger.

The No 38 fortune stick read: “Men up above seek the fruit of truth. I head to the low ground to pick ginger and Chinese mustard.” 

“An altar may well be a kitchen. Act not as a hero to teach hunting,” it added. The omen came with a brief explanation telling the city to “stick to the old ways on everything”.

That explanation, however, does apply to the city’s leadership, according to fortune-teller Chan Tin-yan, who said the message indicated that incumbent Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor - who has steadfastly declined to say whether she will seek re-election next month - should not run for a second term.

“It said one should not act like a hero. It was telling the chief executive not to act like a hero,” Chan said, adding that the prophecy also suggested any other entrants into the March leadership race should be more experienced than Lam “so that the economic and pandemic situations in Hong Kong will stabilise”.

The annual draw uses a bamboo cylinder containing 96 numbered sticks. Each stick corresponds to an omen, of which 35 bode well, 17 bode ill and 44 are neutral. Participants shake the cylinder until a stick falls out, with that stick denoting their fortune.

Lau, who has been tasked in recent years with drawing a stick on the city’s behalf, declined to comment on the omen’s bearing on the chief executive election when asked on Wednesday.

The pro-establishment lawmaker demurred, saying it was too soon to comment, given the nomination period for the race had not yet started. He only said he hoped the next chief executive would be an experienced and down-to-earth person.

He did, however, interpret this year’s admonition to “stick to the old ways” as a warning for the city to hold the course in its battle with the coronavirus.

“My understanding is that as the pandemic rages on, everyone should keep up their work. One should not expect the city would be able to end it in one go,” Lau said, clad in a festive, bright yellow Chinese jacket.

“We step out of difficulties one step at a time.”

Chan, for his part, agreed with Lau’s reading on the pandemic.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, Hong Kong confirmed 129 Covid cases, with the number of untraceable infections soaring to a recent high of 22.

The surge came at a time of year when many people in Hong Kong would be travelling to mainland China to visit relatives, but the fifth wave of infections has added uncertainty to the government’s long-running bid to resume quarantine-free cross-border travel.

Lau, who inherited the leadership of the powerful rural body, has been participating in the annual ritual since 2016. He succeeded his father, Lau Wong-fat, who stepped down as leader in 2015 due to poor health and died two years later. The Heung Yee Kuk looks after the interests of indigenous New Territories residents.

The younger Lau has drawn a neutral fortune stick for Hong Kong for the past two years.

Wednesday’s ceremony took place at Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin, one of the few that has remained open for followers to make joss stick offerings during the pandemic. But the drawing of the fortune sticks was conducted before the temple opened its doors to the public at 8am.

The temple, which was built around 300 years ago, is named after the Song dynasty commander Che Kung, who had a reputation for quashing not only uprisings, but plagues.

The Heung Yee Kuk’s chairman has been tasked with drawing the city’s fortune stick since 2004, the year after then home affairs chief Patrick Ho Chi-ping drew No 83 - one of the worst possible omens. That was the same year Hong Kong was hit by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak, which left hundreds dead.

The ritual was held behind closed doors for the second consecutive year because of the pandemic, though it was broadcast live on local television.

Meanwhile, Lee Che-kee, chairman of the Sha Tin Rural Committee, also drew a “neutral” fortune stick for his community on Wednesday. Still, he said he took the omen to be a positive one, as the message suggested that Sha Tin was still a land of fortune.

 - scmp