'Everyone in Hong Kong will be blessed with a great job and a full tummy,' Mr Lau said. 'There will be a new beginning for Hong Kong.'

The temple's fortune-stick reader, a Mr Wai, said the stick also hinted at increasingly close ties between Hong Kong and the mainland. Its message was that about 3,000 intellectuals would go to the capital to sit examinations to become government officials and that they would have good fortune.

A fortune stick indicating stability was drawn at the temple last year, and an auspicious stick was drawn in 2006, the Year of the Dog.

The worst possible stick, No83, was drawn by the then secretary for home affairs, Patrick Ho Chi-ping, in 2003. It predicted plagues and economic turmoil, which soon became reality with the Sars outbreak and the economic slump that followed. The ritual has since been performed by the Heung Yee Kuk.

Visitors poured into the temple yesterday to burn joss sticks, turn the auspicious fan-bladed wheels, and beat the drums - rituals to salute and thank the deity Che Kung - as well as turn the wheel of fortune to bring luck and prosperity.

A businessman at the temple surnamed Yeung said trade had been picking up in the past few months in the manufacturing sector. 'I think the fortune stick picked by Mr Lau will be quite accurate,' he said. 'Hong Kong is backed by the mainland, and everything is boding well.'

Fung shui master Gladys Mak Ling-ling offered some tips for good fortune: 'Some may consider putting flowers in the eastern corner to bring monetary luck. The southeast is for relationships and promotions, so it will be good if one put out plants bearing fruits, or red wall lamps.'