Call for transparency in paying villagers for fung shui rituals

The government practice of paying indigenous New Territories villagers damages to rectify their fung shui is unfair to other Hongkongers and should at least be made more transparent, observers have said in a debate on whether to retain the colonial-era claims system.

One academic, however, says he appreciates the use of money to pacify villagers who have to make way for public works, as this respects the traditional beliefs of Taoism and geomancy.

Some HK$10 million has been paid out of the city's coffers as " tun fu allowance" - money for performing rituals - over the past 10 fiscal years since 2004/05, involving 79 public works projects, Lands Department data compiled by the South China Morning Post shows. The compensation forms part of the government's public works spending.

Tun fu ceremonies are performed to worship spirits disturbed by the works and by the residents' relocation, according to Dr Patrick Hase, who studies history and folk life in the New Territories. Such rituals integrated practices in the Taoist religion and fung shui, he said.

"At the heart of the ceremony is worshipping the 'spirits of five directions', in particular, the earth gods," the scholar said.

"Five slips of wood are prepared, each with inscriptions on it, along with bowls filled with sand. The fung shui master is consulted on whether the fung shui is affected, and on the selection of the best time and best site to perform the ceremony - which is held to request the spirits to move to the new sites."