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SCMP Reporter

A tree in Lam Tsuen village near Tai Po is said to  make dreams come true.

The plain village is like many others in the New Territories except that it has a big 'wishing tree'  festooned with  colourful strips of paper.

The papers contain people's hand-writtten hopes and wishes.

Every Saturday or Sunday, many  people come from different parts of Hong Kong to  pay their respects and ask for blessings for their career, family,  studies, or even  the good fortune to meet a perfect partner.

Many wish-makers are teenagers and elderly people.

The bright red and yellow strips of paper are called 'ng po dip', which  contain wishes for the five blessings of wealth, health, security, a good career and success. Wish-makers can also write down their own personal dreams on the strips. The papers are then tossed into the tree's branches.

According to Chinese tradi tion, if the paper catches on the tree, it means the wish-maker's dream will be granted. The higher up in the branches the paper goes,  the better the chances of the wish coming true.

An elderly resident who has lived in Lam Tuen for 20 years,  Granny Leung,  started  selling ng po dip last year. She said many wish-makers  go back to thank the gods at the wishing tree. 'I have seen many wish- makers thank for the gods when their dreams came true.'

She said the tree was planted  by a villager called Uncle Wong who took great care of the tree and watered it. 'Without Uncle Wong, it  wouldn't have grown so healthy and strong,' she said.

The traditional  wish-making ritual has changed over the past 10 years. Originally, the coloured  strips were tied to a stone to make it easier to throw. However, the stones   sometimes fell and hurt people so oranges were used instead.

There is also a technique for to writing down blessings and dreams.  'Never write down your full name. If it drops down from the tree, it is unlucky if somebody accidentally steps on it,' Granny Leung said.

Wish-makers should only write their first name down on the paper.

Every month, Lam Tsuen village hires people to  climb the tree and  remove the old slips.

One would think the Lam Tsuen villagers would be the most frequent wish-makers. However, Granny Leung said it was just the opposite.

'Villagers have received enough blessings from this tree that has good 'fung shui'.  We do not need to pray for ourselves,' she said.

Over almost 100 years, the wishing tree - a camphor tree - weathered heavy rains and storms.

In 1998, it was accidentally burned by a fire caused by burning incense  and collapsed with the excessive weight of offerings.  Later the original wishing tree was transplanted and a banyan tree put in its place.

A famous legend for the wishing tree is about a father and a son. The man's son was a slow- learner. His father went to the wishing tree to ask for his son to be clever and successful. Afterwards the son changed and improved incredibly in his studies and became a famous person.

To get to the wishing tree, take the 64K bus to Lam Tsuen village from Tai Po Market KCR.

Graphic: YPOHKGLO



Wishing tree makes dreams come true