Express rail link activists branch out to make their own luck
Activists from a group opposed to the HK$66.9 billion Hong Kong-Guangzhou express rail link drew three fortune sticks on behalf of the city to urge people to fight for their own destiny.
Lee Yu-mung drew a stick numbered 74, classified as 'unlucky', for families such as those in Tsoi Yuen Tsuen, where homes will be pulled down to make way for the link.
Rather than relying on fortune tellers at the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin, the twenty-something activists from the XRL Alliance used the internet and came up with their own interpretations, as an analogy for not relying on the government to make decisions for them.
Lee said the number 74 meant luck had yet to reach the city.
Fung shui consultant Li Yuen-chin said the unlucky stick was merely a warning. She said grass-roots families needed to abandon some dreams - because they were unattainable - and focus on other goals.
When interpreted specifically for Tsoi Yuen Tsuen, Li said the drawing of the stick meant the villagers had different worries but hoped that they could negotiate a way out.