The fire energy of the Year of the Dragon may spell accidents and conflicts, but some of Hong Kong’s best-known soothsayers have said it will also be the right time to turn a new page in life.
They explained that in Chinese geomancy, 2024 marks the onset of the Period Nine era – the last 20 years of a grand cycle of 180 years – ushering in transformation, innovation and drastic change.
“We should expect a new chapter. The Covid-19 pandemic over the past few years acted like a pivot for us to transition into Period Nine,” said Thierry Chow Yik-tung, a feng shui consultant and interior designer. “It will be good timing for something new and a good year for change.”
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The Chinese zodiac is a repeating 12-year cycle of animal signs, with the dragon at No 5 in the sequence: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
During its year, each animal is related to one of five elements – metal, wood, water, fire and earth – and its characteristics and powers affect not only those born that year, but also those under other signs.
This is the year of the Wood Dragon. Soothsayers expect the Dragon to clash with the Dog, Ox and Rabbit, so people born in those years are likely to be impacted.
Dragons have a special place in Chinese culture because of their omnipotence and association with emperors through the centuries, symbolising traits such as dominance, ambition, authority, dignity and aggression.
Famous Dragon personalities past and present include late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Russian President Vladimir Putin, tycoon Li Ka-shing and Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, which owns the Post.
While the soothsayers shared their predictions for the year ahead, they said the Dragon’s influence was related ultimately to the actions of individuals.
“The dragon often refers to people in outstanding roles. For each individual, it is about gaining control over your own life and being your own leader,” historian and geomancer Benson Wong Wai-Kwok said.
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Will the Dragon bless Hong Kong?
Asked what the Dragon Year might mean for Hong Kong’s leaders, Chow said: “As we come to a new chapter, we should expect a new trend to be on the rise. It might bring forward generational conflicts, and communication is necessary to resolve misunderstandings.”
The soothsayers said the fiery quality of Period Nine indicated incidents of fire and road accidents, and a proliferation of disputes, conflicts and violence.
Chan Tin-yan, master astrologer at Che Kung Temple, said businesses deemed to have the nature of metal and wood, such as finance, the stock market and property development, would find themselves suppressed during the year.
“In the Taoist five elemental system, fire can melt metal, and metal can destroy wood,” he said. “Particularly, Hong Kong is in southern China, which is represented in the Chinese constellations by the mythical creature of the Vermilion Bird, which is also considered fiery in nature. This means the fire is more intense.”
Veteran feng shui master Chow Hon-ming said the new year could mean prosperous tidings for people in jobs regarded as having a fiery quality.
These include everything from innovation and technology to artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, religion, education and cosmetics.
A specialist in the ancient Chinese divination text of I Ching, he explained that those areas’ intangible quality or fancy appearance contributed to their fiery nature.
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Will the economy rebound?
While Chan and Thierry Chow predicted that the economy would remain sluggish this year, Chow Hon-ming expected that Hong Kong’s stock market had hit a trough and would start to pick up gradually, with some fluctuations.
Referring to a hexagram in I Ching, he said it depicted the Dragon in a field and was a propitious sign, indicating that Hong Kong was about to take flight.
“Hong Kong will rise from the base of a valley and will get better, although there will be ups and downs along the way,” he said.
Feng Shui master Johnson Chan Shing-wan said he drew a fortune stick for Hong Kong from the Taoist deity Great Immortal Sage Wong, or Wong Tai Sin, and it indicated a good omen.
“As Hong Kong has come out from the Covid-19 pandemic, the city is waiting to start afresh, get spruced up and return to its heyday,” he said.
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He said the fortune stick he drew, No 15, referred to a story about Tang dynasty Emperor Xuanzong (712 to 756 CE) ascending the throne and bringing prosperity during his reign.
Chan advised the city government to seize the opportunity.
Yun Wen-zi, a specialist in Qimen Dunjia, another form of divination from ancient China, expected the economy to remain stagnant and imbued with “mirages and illusions”.
“Hong Kong’s fortunes will improve slightly in Year of the Dragon,” she said. “Hong Kong will inevitably have to go through the reorganisation process before it can slowly restore its vitality.”
She said mainland China would encounter “many difficult problems” in the coming year and remain troubled by the negative impact of the world economy.
Biden or Trump?
The soothsayers also weighed in on the United States presidential election in November, and what the Dragon might mean for incumbent President Joe Biden and his likely challenger, former president Donald Trump.
Chow Hon-ming said Trump might prevail because his fiery temper went along with the fire element dominating Period Nine.
Chan Tin-yan went further, saying Period Nine’s fire would even give Trump a boost this year, whereas he did not have enough fire to reclaim the presidency in 2020.
But Wong said Trump, born in the Year of the Dog in 1946, would face constraints and be mired in lawsuits, while Biden, born in the Year of the Horse in 1942, would see his fortunes through the new year.
Thierry Chow noted there were variables in the race, and new faces might yet turn up.
“Planning is one thing. Whether things can materialise as planned is another issue,” she said. “The only thing permanent is change.”
More from South China Morning Post:
- Year of the Dragon 2024 - a complete guide: from zodiac predictions and traditions to what to wear and lucky foods, 10 essential reads to see you through Lunar New Year
- Year of the Dragon: origins of the mythical beast’s name and imagery, from a fiery beast to an Asian symbol of strength
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