View source for Hong Kong Government Lunar New Year kau chim tradition

{{Short description|Annual divination ritual}}
In each year's [[Chinese New Year]] celebrations in [[Hong Kong]], a member of the [[Hong Kong Government]] represents the city in a [[divination]] ritual called [[kau chim]]. The event takes place on the second day of the [[Chinese New Year|Lunar New Year]] at [[Che Kung Miu|Che Kung temple]], [[Sha Tin]], where a fortune stick is drawn.  The luck of the city for that upcoming [[Chinese calendar|Lunar year]] will be foretold by the message on the fortune stick.  The message is written in the form of [[classical Chinese]] [[Lottery poetry|poetry]] and is then interpreted by a [[Feng shui]] [[sifu]] or [[fortune teller]].
==Tradition==
Usually one stick is drawn for the fortune of the city by a main representative person.  Other sticks may be drawn for smaller community divinations.  There are five categories of stick fortunes, from good (上), to mid (中), to bad (下).  Each level also has internal degrees.  For example, stick #27 is unlucky.  It relates to the story of [[Qin Shi Huang]], first emperor of the [[Qin dynasty]], who built the [[Great Wall of China]] and sparked widespread opposition among his people.<ref name="st">South China Morning Post. "[http://www.scmp.com SCMP archive]." ''City urged to unite despite fortune stick's bad omen Sha Tin temple ceremony predicts year of disharmony.'' Retrieved on 2009-01-28.</ref>
==Results==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! width=5% | Year of the
! width=5% | Time<br />frame
! width=5% | Stick<br />drawer
! width=5% | Stick<br />number
! width=10% | Result
|-
| [[Goat (zodiac)|Goat]] || 15 Feb 1991<br />3 Feb 1992 || || ||
|-
| [[Monkey (zodiac)|Monkey]] || 4 Feb 1992<br />22 Jan 1993 || || 27 || Bad<ref name="st" />
|-
| [[Rooster (zodiac)|Rooster]] || 23 Jan 1993<br />9 Feb 1994 || || ||
|-
| [[Dog (zodiac)|Dog]] || 10 Feb 1994<br />30 Jan 1995 || || ||
|-
| [[Pig (zodiac)|Pig]] || 31 Jan 1995<br />18 Feb 1996 || ||61
|
|-
| [[Rat (zodiac)|Rat]] || 19 Feb 1996<br />6 Feb 1997 || ||70
|
|-
| [[Ox (zodiac)|Ox]] || 7 Feb 1997<br /> 27 Jan 1998 || ||81
|
|-
| [[Tiger (zodiac)|Tiger]] || 28 Jan 1998<br />15 Feb 1999 || ||37
|
|-
| [[Rabbit (zodiac)|Rabbit]] || 16 Feb 1999<br />4 Feb 2000 || Lui Hau-tuen || 34 ||
|-
| [[Dragon (zodiac)|Dragon]] || 5 Feb 2000<br />23 Jan 2001 || Lui Hau-tuen || 91 ||
|-
| [[Snake (zodiac)|Snake]] || 24 Jan 2001<br />11 Feb 2002 || Lui Hau-tuen  || 30 ||
|-
| [[Horse (zodiac)|Horse]] || 12 Feb 2002<br />31 Jan 2003 || Lui Hau-tuen  || 38 ||
|-
| [[Goat (zodiac)|Goat]] || 1 Feb 2003<br />21 Jan 2004 || [[Patrick Ho|Patrick Ho Chi-ping]] || 83 || Bad<ref name="st" /><ref name="sk">South China Morning Post. "[http://www.scmp.com SCMP archive]." ''Kuk chief vows to continue tradition.'' Retrieved on 2009-01-28.</ref>
|-
| [[Monkey (zodiac)|Monkey]] || 22 Jan 2004<br />8 Feb 2005 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 76 || Mid<ref>Sun.on.cc. "[http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/news/20040124/20040124023514_0001_1.html Sun.on.cc]." ''求籤何需講手氣.'' Retrieved on 2010-02-16.</ref>
|-
| [[Rooster (zodiac)|Rooster]] || 9 Feb 2005<br />28 Jan 2006 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 53 || Mid<ref>Singpao.com. "[http://www.singpao.com/NewsArticle.aspx?MenuID=2&NewsID=77861&Lang=tc Singpao.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611151916/http://www.singpao.com/NewsArticle.aspx?MenuID=2&NewsID=77861&Lang=tc |date=2011-06-11 }}." ''籤解先難後易　還看市民努力.'' Retrieved on 2010-02-16.</ref>
|-
| [[Dog (zodiac)|Dog]] || 29 Jan 2006<br />17 Feb 2007 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 75 || Good<ref>RTHK.org.hk. "[http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20060130/20060130_55_284754.html RTHK]." ''劉皇發為香港求得上籤感到開心.'' Retrieved on 2010-02-16.</ref><ref>RTHK.org.hk. "[http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20060130/20060130_55_284748.html RTHK]." ''劉皇發與官員到車公廟為香港求得上籤.'' Retrieved on 2010-02-16.</ref>
|-
| [[Pig (zodiac)|Pig]] ||  18 Feb 2007<br />6 Feb 2008 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 36 || Mid<ref>on.cc "[http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/news/20070220/20070220015241_0000.html ''The Sun'']." ''劉皇發為港祈福 須齊心創新景象 車公中籤暗喻防股海揚波.'' Retrieved on 2013-02-11.</ref>
|-
| [[Rat (zodiac)|Rat]] || 7 Feb 2008<br />25 Jan 2009 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 60 || Good<ref name="sinac">Sina.com. "[http://news.sina.com/hk/chinesedaily/103-000-101-109/2008-02-10/07022659255.html Sina.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722025957/http://news.sina.com/hk/chinesedaily/103-000-101-109/2008-02-10/07022659255.html |date=2011-07-22 }}." ''港求得上籤今年繼續旺 2008年2月9日.'' Retrieved on 2010-02-16.</ref>
|-
| [[Ox (zodiac)|Ox]] || 26 Jan 2009<br />13 Feb 2010 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 27 || Bad<ref>South China Morning Post. "[http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=7c0f1ba41f1d6210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Hong+Kong&s=News SCMP]." ''Life looking better for Year of the Tiger.'' Retrieved on 2010-02-16.</ref><ref name="sn">South China Morning Post. "[http://www.scmp.com SCMP archive]." ''Short straw dims New Year glow. Fortune stick predicts worst luck for HK, and hours later fireworks barge catches fire..'' Retrieved on 2009-01-28.</ref>
|-
| [[Tiger (zodiac)|Tiger]] || 14 Feb 2010<br />2 Feb 2011 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 53 || Mid<ref>HKheadline.com. "[http://news.hkheadline.com/instantnews/news_content/201002/15/20100215a155845.html?cat=a&hl=%A8D%C5%D2 HKheadline.com]." ''劉皇發為港求得「有求必應」中籤.'' Retrieved on 2010-02-15.</ref>
|-
| [[Rabbit (zodiac)|Rabbit]] ||  3 Feb 2011<br />22 Jan 2012 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 11 || Mid<ref>HKheadline.com. "[http://news.hkheadline.com/instantnews/news_content/201102/04/20110204a093444.html?cat=a&hl=%BCB%AC%D3%B5o HKheadline.com]." ''劉皇發求中籤經濟有好有壞.'' Retrieved on 2011-02-10.</ref>
|-
| [[Dragon (zodiac)|Dragon]] ||  23 Jan 2012<br />09 Feb 2013 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 29 || Mid<ref>HKheadline.com. "[https://archive.today/20130107173436/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=21&art_id=119087&sid=35190920&con_type=1&d_str=20120126&fc=4 HK Standard]." Retrieved on 2012-01-26.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/8/9/6/101989640.html?coluid=176&kindid=0&docid=101989640&mdate=0124103332 |title=中國評論新聞：劉皇發為香港求得中籤 稱寓意特首選舉 |website=www.chinareviewnews.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305055926/http://www.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/8/9/6/101989640.html?coluid=176&kindid=0&docid=101989640&mdate=0124103332 |archive-date=2016-03-05}} </ref>
|-
| [[Snake (zodiac)|Snake]] ||  10 Feb 2013<br />30 Jan 2014 || [[Lau Wong-fat]] || 95 || Bad
|-
|[[Horse (zodiac)|Horse]]
|31 Jan 2014
18 Feb 2015
|[[Lau Wong-fat]]
|4
|Mid
|-
|[[Goat (zodiac)|Goat]]
|19 Feb 2015
7 Feb 2016
|[[Lau Wong-fat]]
|20
|Mid
|-
|[[Monkey (zodiac)|Monkey]]
|8 Feb 2016
27 Jan 2017
|[[Kenneth Lau]]
|72
|Good
|-
|[[Rooster (zodiac)|Rooster]]
|28 Jan 2017
15 Feb 2018
|[[Kenneth Lau]]
|61
|Mid
|-
|[[Dog (zodiac)|Dog]]
|16 Feb 2018
4 Feb 2019
|[[Kenneth Lau]]
|21/41
|Mid
|-
|[[Pig (zodiac)|Pig]]
|5 Feb 2019
24 Jan 2020
|[[Kenneth Lau]]
|86
|Mid
|-
|[[Rat (zodiac)|Rat]]
|25 Jan 2020
11 Feb 2021
|[[Kenneth Lau]]
|92
|Mid
|}
==See also==
* [[Chinese spiritual world concepts]]
* [[Dajiao]]
* [[Jiaobei]]
* [[Tai Sui]]
* [[Timeline of Hong Kong history]]
* [[Tung Shing]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Culture of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Chinese culture]]
[[Category:Divination]]