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Ashlyn Chak

Learn the ins and outs of feng shui, villain hitting, and fortunetelling as well as the dos and don’ts for cultivating good luck in our series on Chinese superstitions.
In Chinese culture, show business is thought of as an “informal” trade because of the lack of a stable income and how you have to rely on popularity for success. That in turn has contributed to superstitions, many of which are observed on film sets.
Only when they are carried out, it is believed, can a production proceed without hiccups.
Here are five of the most prominent rituals and practices that the Hong Kong entertainment industry has adopted over the years.

1. A food party to start with a bang
It is standard practice for a new business to host a praying ceremony involving fruit, meat, candles, incense and liquor to receive blessings from the gods. The ceremony’s main event, however, is the cutting open of a roasted pig.
Also performed at the launch of a new company, this sacrificial ritual is common practice for Hong Kong’s film and television crews, and done at the start of every new production to ensure its smooth running.
Even cast and crew members who are not religious, or are of faiths other than Taoism, attend the ceremony out of respect; nowadays it has become more of a team-building exercise, with the food being shared to celebrate the start of a new job.

2. You get extra cash for playing dead
It is a Chinese tradition for performers in death scenes – whether they are extras or a main cast member – to get lai see, or red envelopes, containing a token sum of money to dispel bad juju.
In 2020, Hong Kong television actors Wayne Lai Yiu-cheung and Louis Yuen Siu-cheung discussed this on their talk show More Than Mall.
Lai said he had got so used to receiving lai see after his death scenes that he would feel uneasy without one. Yuen recalled a time he almost left the set of a cemetery scene filmed on location without a red envelope. He returned immediately to ask for lai see for peace of mind when he remembered.
3. Red paper to flush out bad luck
In a similar vein, actors receive red envelopes when their likenesses are used for funeral portraits in shows and films. A small piece of red paper is stuck behind the photo as well.
In Chinese culture, red is associated with a strong life force, while white is often used in funerals. The red is used to flush out the bad luck that white invites by letting the gods and spirits know that the actor in question is still among the living and should not be taken from their earthly realm.

4. ‘We’re sorry to bother you’
In Chinese mythology and Taoism, it is believed that spirits are attracted to yin energy – one of two opposing forces in feng shui. Yin is said to be found in desolate areas and is said to weaken the healthy yang energy that humans possess.
When filming in nature and at abandoned sites, a film crew will invite a shaman to perform rites to tell nearby spirits of the production and to kindly ask them not to disrupt their process. It is only polite – they were probably there first.
5. Period dramas can draw period ghosts
If you were a ghost from the 1800s, what would feel like home to you?
In an episode of ViuTV talk show One Beside You 3 in 2020, Hong Kong-born, Taiwan-based actor Tony Yeung Chung-yan shared a curious incident. In the hours between 3am and 5am, while on a set that looked like a historical Chinese city, he saw a group of people dressed as soldiers of the period in the distance.
This would not have seemed out of the ordinary, except there were no scenes involving soldiers on that day’s call sheet. He later asked the director, and was told they could occasionally be seen and that he should not mention it again.
Yeung’s theory was that, because the set looked like “their world”, the spirits were drawn to something that was familiar to them. “The spirits belong to that setting, so that’s where they go,” he said.


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Chinese culture

5 Hong Kong film set superstitions, from rites to lucky red envelopes for death scenes

Andy Lau Tak-wah in a scene from the film Fat Choi Spirit. Actors in a death scene are given red envelopes contaning money to dispel bad luck. Photo: China Star Entertainment Group

The cutting open of a roasted pig is considered part and parcel of starting a new TV production. Photo: Sam Tsang

Death scene performers get lai see, or red envelopes, to dispel bad juju after filming. Photo: Shutterstock 

When filming in nature and at abandoned sites, a film crew will invite a shaman to perform rites to ask nearby spirits to kindly not to disrupt their process. Photo: Shutterstock

5 Hong Kong horror film gems from Sammo Hung, Peter Chan, Fruit Chan and others

Miriam Yeung in a still from Dumplings, one of American horror novelist and expert on Hong Kong film Grady Hendrix’s favourite horror movies produced in the city, and “one of the great horror movies of all time”.

A still from The Boxer’s Omen (1983).

A poster promoting Red to Kill (1994).

Ben Ng in a still from Red to Kill.

(From left) Angela Tong, Emotional Cheung, Jordan Chan and Sam Lee in a still from Bio Zombie (1998).

Grady Hendrix. Photo: Albert Mitchell

(Clockwise from left) Chin Siu-ho, Lam Ching-ying, Anthony Chan and Yuen Wah in a still from Mr Vampire (1985).

Would you live in a ‘haunted’ Hong Kong flat, where someone died an unnatural death?

A view of the supposedly haunted Dragon Lodge on The Peak in Hong Kong. The stigma attached to living in a place where an unnatural death occurred makes it hard to rent or sell them, although deep discounts can work. Photo: Martin Chan

Joseph Ng Goon-lau, who buys and sells dozens of properties linked to unnatural deaths, in one of his flats in Mong Kok. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Inside one of Ng’s “hongza” flats in Mong Kok. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Flower bouquets and fruits placed outside the crime scene of the murder case of model, socialite, and influencer Abby Choi Tin-fung, in Lung Mei Village, Tai Po. Photo: Elson Li

This picture, taken in 2016, shows the building in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, in which Rurik Jutting murdered two women in a rented flat. Photo: Anthony Wallace

When paranormal series Life After Life and My Date with a Vampire lit up Hong Kong’s ATV

Publicity for My Date with A Vampire, a paranormal series shown on TV in Hong Kong by broadcaster ATV. It was one of several such series produced by the company. Photo: ATV

Tung Ling (Man, Ghosts & Aliens III) was a supernatural series on ATV. Photo: ATV

A still from My Date with A Vampire. Photo: ATV

Kenny Ho Kar-king in a still from Tian Ling (Man, Ghosts & Aliens I). Photo: ATV

The opening title scene of Tian Ling (Man, Ghosts & Aliens I). Photo: ATV

Lucky phone numbers and wedding dates to dining don’ts, Chinese numerology superstitions

Law Ting-pong, chairman of Laws Fashion Knitters, and Miss Hong Kong Pauline Yeung Po-ling holding up two licence plates numbered 8 for which Law paid HK$5 mllion at auction in February 1988. Photo: SCMP 

A Chinese luo pan compass used in feng shui. Some numbers are seen as lucky in Chinese culture, while others are believed to be unlucky. We look at five areas to maximise good fortune, including phone numbers and dates for special occasions. Photo: Shutterstock

Floor numbers are taken seriously in Chinese culture, with the fourth floor being “missed out” in many buildings because 4 sounds similar to the word for death in Cantonese and Mandarin. Photo: Shutterstock

A car registration plate auction in Hong Kong. Plates with auspicious number combinations have historically been sold for a pretty penny in the city. Photo: Robert Ng

A stall selling SIM cards attached to different phone numbers in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. The combinations of digits phone numbers contain are believed to determine whether they are lucky or unlucky. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Ordering seven dishes at a restaurant is seen as unlucky in Chinese culture; ordering an even number is seen as better. Photo: Shutterstock

A wedding party gathered in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. Choosing a wedding date can be tricky for Chinese couples as the bride and groom must take into account their birthdays and those of their parents. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

5 tips to avoid ghosts in your hotel, from knocking before entering to covering mirrors

We offer a few ways to avoid disturbing the spirits when you are travelling, even if your hotel is haunted like the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles is said to be. Photo: Reuters

A still from security camera footage showing Elisa Lam Ho-yi entering a lift in the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, where she died in unexplained circumstances in 2013. Photo: YouTube

Firefighters found Lam’s body inside a water tank on the roof of the Cecil Hotel (also called the Hotel Cecil). Photo: Reuters

The inside of the Grand Hyatt Taipei hotel, which is said to be haunted. Photo: Shutterstock

The exterior of the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Inside, disembodied children’s voices have been reported in its corridors. Photo: Facebook/Grand Hyatt Taipei

The lobby of the Bangkok Palace Hotel, which also has a reputation for being haunted. Photo: Facebook/Bangkok Palace Hotel

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Chinese superstitions

Chinese pregnancy food superstitions and traditions, from eating dog heads to no coffee

Eating a white-haired dog’s head was said to ensure an easy birth in Chinese lore. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese people have many traditions and superstitions about what to eat and not eat during pregnancy, some based on traditional Chinese medicine. Photo: Shutterstock

One superstition in Hangzhou was that women should use a small rice bowl for their evening meal to “prevent the fetal head from being too large”. Photo: Shutterstock

Fried crab at Hee Kee Crab General in Causeway Bay. Some believe that ingredients such as snake, prawn and crab should be avoided. Photo Paul Yeung

Women are told to avoid inky ingredients like black sesame to prevent giving birth to a baby with a darker complexion. Photo: Shutterstock

Yuki Maryrose Leung with her husband, Spencer, and son Liam. Leung did not follow a lot of the advice circulating among the Chinese community when it came to what not to eat. Photo: Anna Maria Studio

Patricia Chan, also known as Aunty Pat, is a confinement nurse trained in Hong Kong. Photo: Patricia Chan

Post-partum recovery teas consist of ingredients such as goji berries, red dates and Chinese herbs. Photo: Shutterstock

Post-partum women are encouraged to eat more heating foods to bring their bodies back into equilibrium and bathe with ginger water. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese funeral customs to pay respects to the dead, from what to wear to why age is key

A red wooden coffin at a Chinese funeral. Photo: Shutterstock

A Chinese funeral in Thailand. In Chinese communities around the world, there are many superstitions surrounding death and the mourning process. We look at some that ensure respect is shown and bad luck is avoided. Photo: Shutterstock

In Chinese culture, mirrors are traditionally removed from a person’s home after they die, to prevent their soul from searching in vain for its reflection. Photo: Shutterstock

Paper money and other items made out of joss paper are burned at Taoist funerals to aid the deceased in the afterlife. Photo: Shutterstock

Paper servants, to be burnt as offerings during a Taoist funeral, in Hung Hom, Hong Kong. Photo: Antony Dickson

Hong Kong’s ‘Ghost King’ on chasing spirits, his radio gigs and being a supernatural dud

Radio show host and ghost hunter Edmond Poon talks to the Post about collecting spooky stories. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Poon is the host of long-running online paranormal programme Twilight Online. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Poon on the set of his ViuTV show Talker: One Beside You. Photo: Edmond Poon

Poon uses a ghost-hunting app while seeking spirits. Photo: Edmond Poon

Poon sees himself first and foremost as a programme host. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

How to talk to the dead explained by a Chinese spirit medium in Hong Kong

Chinese spirit medium Lawrence Leung. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Chinese spirit medium Lawrence Leung says he learned to contact the dead after practising Luk Yam Taoism - one of two branches of Taoism in Hong Kong that mainly deal with spirits and ghosts. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Lawrence Leung says ghosts in Southeast Asia are stronger than those in Hong Kong. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Leung says it is harder for ghosts and spirits to bother people who have done a lot of good deeds and have good intentions. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Leung says he once saw the ghost of an obese woman sitting on a bed in a Nyonya house in Malaysia with both her arms around the necks of two weaker ghosts. Illustration: Henry Wong

5 films about Chinese superstitions, from hopping vampires to ghosts to curses

A still from The Eye (2002), one of five films we look at whose narratives draw on Chinese superstition and the supernatural. 

What is villain hitting? Voodoo-like Chinese practice is not as sinister as it sounds

A practitioner performs a villain-hitting ritual in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Fortune-tellers break down the practice and explain its history. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Tong Pik-ha, also known as Master Tong, is a feng shui master. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Andrew Kwan is a feng shui master. Photo: Andrew Kwan

A practitioner performs a villain hitting ceremony for a client in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

Villain hitting in Causeway Bay. There are three groups of people – pregnant women, children and the elderly – that cannot be the target of villain hitting. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A practitioner performs villain hitting in Causeway Bay. The practice is mostly seen in Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

Dreams about snakes or wedding dresses? An expert breaks down Chinese dream interpretation

Monita, a Hong Kong-based dream interpretation specialist, breaks down Chinese dream interpretation and its relevance today. Photo: Instagram/_hungpage_

The meaning of one’s dreams have been a source of intrigue since ancient times in China and everywhere. Photo: Shutterstock

Monita is a dream interpretation specialist in Hong Kong. Photo: @_hungpage_

Dream therapy can be a source of healing for clients, helping them understand their traumas and suppressed emotions. Photo: @_hungpage_

Monita advises that dream interpretation, like tarot card reading, should at most give warnings, but not predict someone’s fortune. Photo: @_hungpage_

A feng shui master’s guide to making your office more productive, and why ‘balance’ is key

Hong Kong feng shui master Thierry Chow designs productive workspaces. She talks to the post about using lighting and colours to achieve balanced energy, and why every space needs a different approach. Photo: Xiaomei Chen


Chow was inspired to become a feng shui designer by her father, feng shui master Chow Hon-ming. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chow says introducing colourful objects to a workspace can promote creativity and positivity. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

One of numerous buildings in Hong Kong that features a hole in its centre in line with feng shui principles. Hong Kong takes the ancient Chinese practice seriously. Photo: Jelly Tse

Viral TikTok videos from Singaporean architect bring feng shui to a whole new audience

Singaporean architect Cliff Tan in a still from one of his Instagram videos. Photo: Instagram/dearmodern

Singaporean architect Cliff Tan in a still from one of his Instagram videos. Tan has earned millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube with his quirky viral videos that feature feng shui tips. Photo: Instagram/dearmodern

The “before” of a Hong Kong flat (the “after” is below) with seemingly no other possible layout. Photo: Cliff Tan

The “after” of the flat. “We changed it completely and made the space so much more spacious and natural,” Tan says. Photo: Cliff Tan

Tan founded his own practice, Design Modern, in 2016. Photo: Cliff Tan 

Tan’s clients come from all over the world. Photo: Cliff Tan

Hong Kong filmmakers are a superstitious lot. We examine five common rituals, from pig cutting to hiring a shaman to appease the spirits


Did you know Hong Kong actors are given lucky red envelopes every time they appear in a death scene? We delve into the superstitions on film sets and the rituals undertaken to avoid bad luck.


Hong Kong cinema

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Religion