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SCMP Reporter

The wishing tree which stands at the entrance of Fong Ma Po village is covered in deep crimson papers throughout the year and is considered a magical tree.

  Anyone who wants to make a wish can write their wish on a red paper joss, which is then tied on to an orange and thrown on to the tree. This tradition goes back to 960 AD.

      'The papers are written with charms to ward off evil spirits. They have slots and holes for evil to run through and are printed with drawings of clothes. Usually the prayers are for protection and good fortune, but if for other reasons, they are written on the charms for the deities to read,' said a spokesman for the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA).

  Lam Tsuen's tree-worshiping practice was not begun by the local villagers.

  'Local villagers don't have this tradition. If we want to pray, we go to the Tin Hau temple,' said Lam Luk-ming, principal of the Lam Tsuen Public Wong Fook Luen Primary School.

  According to the HKTA spokesman, a dying fisherman who sought a miracle in Lam Tsuen introduced the practice to the village about 40 years ago.

   'Since I was a child, I have seen fishermen gathering here for worship every Lunar New Year,' Mr Lam said.

  In 1998 the original Wishing Tree, a camphor tree, was burnt down by offerings. It was replaced with a bauhinia, which collapsed last year due to the excessive burdens of offerings. Eventually, a banyan tree was planted.

 One legend in particular has increased the popularity of the wishing tree. The story holds that a man made a wish for his son, who was slow in learning. Soon after he had made the wish, his son made incredible improvement in his studies. Since then, people have flocked to the tree to make their wish.

   Mrs Fung, a 75-year-old Lam Tsuen villager, has been selling paper joss under the tree for more than 20 years.

All walks of life  'I don't sell things to earn a living. I just do it for spiritual support,' said she, adding that she often makes wishes herself. Mrs Fung said that people from all walks of life come to make wishes on the tree.

  Bruce Lee Chun-yu, 41, made the trip to the New Territories to make his wish. 'I don't know anything about the tree. I just heard about it on television,' he said. He said he made his first wish on the tree a year ago and added that there were so many people making wishes he could hardly reach the tree. 'I only wished that I would not be fired, that's all,' he said. 'Since then, my career has been quite smooth so I came here again to thank God.' Elaine is a journalism student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Article courtesy of 'Varsity', a magazine written, edited and designed by students of the School of Journalism and Communication, CUHK.



Magical draw of the wishing tree