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Colleen Lee

Younger people trying their luck in the fortune-telling business

They may not offer a path to great riches, but growing numbers of young people are learning the ancient arts of fung shui and fortune-telling as vocations.

The Federation of Trade Unions has been holding fortune-telling classes since the 1980s and the average age of students is much younger now than in the past.

'In the old days, participants were on average 30 to 40 years old but are now mostly in their 20s,' said the federation's secretary, Candy Chau.

Fung shui master Peter So Man-fung,  who started teaching in 1986, echoed Ms Chau's view. 'They are much younger than before,' he said of his students. 'The youngest student I've had was around 24 or 25.'

Chiu Wing-hong, 27, said he started learning fung shui two years ago. Last year he  closed  his hair salon  to concentrate on studying fung shui  after noting how it had helped him in his business.

'In the past, every time I interviewed job applicants for my salon, I could tell from Chinese fortune-telling whether we would get along or not,' he said. 'This greatly helped me in business.'

Mr Chiu  is now receiving one-on-one coaching from a fung shui expert for HK$200 an hour. 'Fung shui can explain many mysteries in the world and help others,' he said. 'And I want to know more about my fate.'

As a freelancer, he gives occasional consultations to more than 100 regular clients and intends  to open his own company.

Mr So said students' objectives in studying fung shui had changed as they had become more concerned with money. 'People used to learn [fung shui]  for the interest alone, but now it is mainly for making money,' he said.

He said the average fung shui expert could  earn HK$30,000 a month, while more renowned masters  earn as much as  HK$100,000.

'It can be as high as lawyers and doctors,' he said.

Ms Chau said the federation's  courses were  popular among white-collar workers in the insurance, banking and human resources fields  - adding that most  were studying for work-related reasons.

In the early 1980s the federation  only provided face-reading classes, with about 80 students each term. But now it runs fung shui and fortune-telling courses for more than 1,000 students each term.

Mr So, who teaches only 20 students each year, said his students booked their courses with him a year in advance.

'[Fung shui] was regarded as obsolete in the past, but it has gained a better image lately,' he said,  adding that the thriving high-end property market on the mainland helped boost  demand for fung shui experts.

He estimated there were   about 1,000 fung shui practitioners in the city, rising from around 300 to 400 in the 1980s.

How much?

Approximate hourly tuition fees for different types of fung shui classes

By a renowned fung shui master: HK$1,000

By an ordinary fung shui expert: HK$100 to HK$200

At a continuing education institution: HK$30 to HK$60



Fung shui demand lures students