Chinese zodiac/Feng Shui and more, Hong Kong

While in a tour sightseeing to Aberdeen, Victoria,
the Guide suddenly stopped and showed us one unusual building at the near hill.
See- here at the hill people like to build houses - and like everywhere in Hongkong, very hight houses. But for luck, like usual in China it is better for the architects to ask a fortune-teller before wider planning.

The fortune-teller came and real, it seems to be difficulties at that place near the hill. After some magic calculations he saw, real at this place and way, a dragon is coming away every day! Oh a dragon, real great - ask the archtects, but what to do? After some magic calulations the fortune teller found out, that this here is a good dragon! And tould the architects, it is able to build the house at this place- but let a free opening, great enought- so not disturbe the dragons way - and the dragon will glad for the attention and as a sportsman not disturb anymore...

Oh interesting storys our Hongkong Guide had to tell...!

Chinese Horoscope:

In Chinese astrology, the years are categorized by twelve animals in this order: the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Boar. But why these animals in these order? One legend is that they were selected by Buddha for their respectful presence during celebration prayers. The other is that the Heavenly Jade Emperor was pleased by these animals who were assembled by his courtiers for his amusement. The third one is about the competition of all animals to cross the fast-moving Lo River being organized by the King of Heaven with the first twelve to represent the years of calendar. But how come the Rat won? It's because the Rat was clever enough to hitch a ride on the back of the Ox and before reaching the finishing line, he jumped off and won the race. The year 2004 is the Year of Money starting on 22nd Jan.
If you are interested in Chinese Horoscope, check this site: http://chinese.astrology.com/

.......Well, I just found a way to let these 12 animals into your mind....Shhh....keep it secret, OK?
ROll The Real DRAGON SHxt for 'Soup' Making, Really Delicious! Burr...maybe it's a bit crazy to have this idea, but it came to my mind when I think of the Harvard way to remember the twelve cranial nerves.

FORTUNE TELLING: Many Chinese will also go to temples to have their fortune read during the Chinese New Year period which lasts for 15 days (usually in February of each year; I think next year's Chinese New Year starts on 24 Jan.). The fortune teller will then ask for the person's birth date & time & proceed to 'calculate' & tell the luck of the person involved. Mishaps may also be predicted & he will then advise you as to ways to prevent them, if any. I had mine read for a meagre sum (well, a good friend highly recommended the reading of this fortune-teller; so far so good!) & it was real fun since my luck is good & will be even better as I age ;-)

One very famous temple in HK is the WONG TAI SIN TEMPLE where all 3 main religions of China - Buddhism, Confucianism & Taoism - are practised at this temple. Here, interpretations of the 'fortune sticks' are available & comprise one of the most common methods of fortune telling in HK. It involves shaking a bamboo cup filled with chim (fortune sticks) until one falls out. The numbered chim correspond to a book of fortunes & may be interpreted by the fortune teller. To visit, take the Wong Tai Sin MTR, exit at B2 & walk about 3 minutes from the station.

An interesting & mind-boggling practice of many Chinese in Hong Kong is to place their faith on GEOMANCY: The study of forces of nature on buildings which in turn affects the luck of those who work or live in the building. To many believers, Geomancy is a Science and are willing to pay large sums of money (to me anything more than $50 is a lot; but I was told many paid more than a few thousand dollars just for this service) to have their houses inspected & redesigned so as to change their lives for the better! Many times, the facing of the main doors will be changed just for this purpose! So, it will be interesting to talk to those believers...

Just as signs in the Western zodiac carry different personality traits, so do the signs of the Chinese system. There is, of course, disagreement as to the precise character of each of the signs, but their general traits are as follows:

THE RAT (1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996):
The rat is a charming & fun-loving soul with a quick but generally controllable temper. He knows the value of money (for which he works very hard) but is very generous to those he loves. Highly inquisitive, to the point of being nosy, rats are said to be excellent writers.
THE OX (1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997):
Like the qualities of the animal it represents, the ox is a hard, if plodding, worker. Logical, systematic & fair-minded, the ox also tends to be very stubborn. Nevertheless, he is very good in a position of authority & responsibility.
THE TIGER (1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998):
The tiger commands great respect from the other signs. He is fierce, warm-hearted, rebellious, obstinate, daring, passionate, sensitive & impulsive. Known as a brave fighter, the tiger will go to the aid of others without hesitation.
THE RABBIT (1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999):
The rabbit symbolizes longevity, refinement, kindness & sensitivity to the arts. Rabbits tend to lead reserved, rather tranquil lives. Although extremely cunning, rabbits will nevertheless avoid confrontations. The rabbit minds his own business; others are expected to do likewise.
THE DRAGON (1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000):
Perhaps the most propitious sign in the zodiac, the dragon is known for his strength, honesty, decisiveness & sheer energy - and also, unfortunately, his ego. Despite its terrifying reputation, the dragon is a benevolent creature.

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THE CHINESE ZODIAC:
(Excerpts From HKTA)

The Chinese zodiac system commands a certain degree of attention & respect - if not always great faith - among the people of HK. People take notice of it most during the Lunar New Year period, when media commentators give their predictions for the coming 12 months. Astrology itself is actually only one element in a very large & complex belief system that includes fung shui, numerology, magic & the Chinese almanac. However, it is probably the most approachable to the Western mind.

While the lunar calendar itself dates back to 2637 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the 1st cycle of this zodiac, just how the astrological system developed out of that calendar is somewhat unclear to historians. Legend has it that the 12 animal signs were created at the time of the Lord Buddha, who one day commanded all the beasts in creation to assemble before him - only 12 responded & were rewarded by having their names given to a specific year. The order in which the animals appeared & their corresponding years are given below.

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Though Hong Kong always has been a mixture of (East) Chinese and (West) English cultures, the Chinese culture weighs - especially since the take-over by China - heavier and heavier. Funny is to know that the supersticiousness of Chinese can climb to amazing heights (even literally). Stories about this are:
1. a building-tycoon wanted to have recommendations on the architecture of his latest skyscratcher from his fortuneteller. He told him that it looked like a big cigaret and so would slowly burn up to the ground ... unless ... a big swimmingpool was built on top (water extingueses fire!). Watch carefully from Victoria Peak and you will see the tower.
Numbers have special meaning for Chinese: number 5 brings good overall fortune and 3 has to do with health. Number 8 brings good luck in money (that is why the numberplate with 8888 costed more then the Rolls Royce it was put on!). Oh, and never give someone a gift that excists of 4 items as 4 is the number of death (watch in hotels, this floor often doesn't excist).

If you are at Repulse Bay you may notice one of the high rises situated behind the beach in front of the large green hill has a rather strange and conspicuous hole through it. It was not always so. The building was built as part of a hotel and the hotel was not doing well. In the feng shui tradition and with chinese mythology, the hole came to be. Chinese believe that on every hill, lives a dragon and that the building was blocking the dragon from getting down to have some water. This angered him and the hotel had bad business as a result. They cut a hole and right in the middle so the dragon could get down to drink some water and business recovered!