Traditions may go on list in bid to safeguard living heritage

The 'devil-beating' ritual in Causeway Bay, lantern-lighting ceremonies for newborn boys in indigenous villages, and celebrations for the birthdays of various Chinese deities are among the traditions being considered for a list of the city's intangible cultural heritage.

The list, being drawn up by the University of Science and Technology, also includes fung shui, wing chun - a form of kung fu that originated in southern China - and the skill of creating a bamboo stage for Cantonese opera shows in the open air.

The university is gathering information about 200 arts and traditions. It will pass on a list to a panel of experts, who will recommend which to submit to the Ministry of Culture for national recognition, and possibly to the United Nations.

The public has also been asked to name those arts and traditions it feels are being neglected for addition to the list.

Some traditions are at risk of disappearing. Underneath the flyover on Canal Road near Times Square in Causeway Bay, a few old women continue the ritual of 'beating the devil'. For HK$50, the women will curse your enemies by beating paper images of them with a shoe or slipper. One practitioner said fewer women were taking up the tradition after experienced 'beaters' died out in recent years.

The 70-year-old, who previously performed the ritual on the roadside in her home city of Zhongshan in Guangdong, said people there did not 'beat' the devils but 'worshipped' them in the hope they would go away. The 'devils' are often a client's colleague or boss. She said she did not know how to pass on her skills. 'It is a matter of belief,' she said.