Temple Attendant Wong Sifu
Stumped for words when you kneel before your deity? Meet Wong Sifu, who serves at the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin. Simply buy a selection of ceremonial tributes and Wong will declare your wishes in front of Che Kung so loudly that even the heavens will tremble.
HK: Who is Che Kung?
Wong: He was a general during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 B.C.) and elevated to a Taoist deity when he saved the inhabitants of Sha Tin and the New Territories from a terrible plague. People come here to pray for good fortune; many call him the God of Fortune.
HK: Do you get many gamblers who come here to pray?
Wong: I wouldn’t be surprised. We are near Sha Tin racecourse, after all.
HK: When is the busiest time of the year?
Wong: Definitely during the Lunar New Year period. People come and celebrate his birthday on the second or third day of the new year. It would be the most popular destination after Wong Tai Sin temple.
HK: What are the ceremonial tributes about?
Wong: Incense sticks are the standard, but you can also buy different-sized candles; it’s believed the bigger they are, the more sincere you are. Worshippers also can turn a fan-bladed wheel of fortune clockwise three times to ensure good luck in the coming year.
HK: Che Kung uses a big, broad sword. Would he beat Kwan Tai (God of War) in a fight?
Wong: It’s hard to say. Kwan Tai uses a partisan. Both have such powerful weapons.
HK: Why do people have you to ask their wishes?
Wong: People usually say their wishes quietly, to themselves, but shouting them out is getting more popular. They ask us to do it because some are too shy to shout them out in public. Or they just don’t know what to say. Even now, the older generation does it themselves.