'Queen of memory' Miki Lee Yuk-kuen yesterday showed how to memorise a sequence of 383 cards in an attempt to set a new world record.
If accepted by Guinness record-keepers, Ms Lee's stunt - her second record attempt in two weeks - will eclipse the existing record of 225 items held by an Indian boy.
'I am trying to show that memory is knowledge, and knowledge can change your fate,' said the 31-year-old chairwoman of the Hong Kong Memory Study Association. 'Almost anyone can learn to do it.'
Students of Ms Lee aged between 8 and 23 also performed stunts, such as remembering the sequence of a set of poker cards, at the APM shopping mall.
The organiser, Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, said the event was prompted by the advice of Premier Wen Jiabao last week that Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen keep a clear head.
'I thought of Ms Lee's memory skill after reading about the premier's message,' said Maureen Fung Sau-yim, general manager of leasing at Sun Hung Kai.