That’s how you deal with petty people! Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay: A Chance Encounter with a Fortune-Teller Beating Petty People

Text & Photos / Free Spirit 

“Beat your petty little head!!!” Do you ever feel like everything in life or at work just isn’t going your way, as if some petty people are backstabbing you or spreading rumors behind your back? At times like these, you’ve probably thought this line in frustration—but felt too annoyed that you couldn’t actually do it. But don’t think you can only curse those petty people in your mind. In Hong Kong, “beating the petty people” is not just symbolic—it’s a real practice, and some even do it as a profession. So next time you want to let off some steam, why not beat the petty people while you’re traveling in Hong Kong? Petty people, begone, begone!!!

▲ Near Times Square in Causeway Bay (Photo / Free Spirit).

Here’s how it went: during one of Free Spirit’s trips to Hong Kong, one evening he wanted to have dinnerat Times Square in Causeway Bayand decided to wander around the area. As luck would have it, right underthe elevated section of the Goose Neck Bridge nearby,he stumbled upon the legendary “petty people beating” ritual.The scene was truly unique and mysterious (video at the end of the article).

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Under the Goose Neck Bridge runs the busy Hennessy Road (a major thoroughfare on Hong Kong Island), and the location is right in the heart of the bustling district. As a result, quite a few pedestrians pass by underneath, and the area is fairly well lit—not the dark, dirty, and rarely frequented bridge underpass that Free Spirit had stereotypically imagined.

As he walked along,near the intersection of Canal Road West and Hennessy Road,he spotted a stall in the middle of the walkway, decorated with candles, offerings, and statues, alongside a few small stools—quite the mysterious setup.Naturally, he went over to check it out.

Sure enough, he had found a genuine petty people beating stall. There were two such stalls at the time,with elderly grandmothers serving as the “beaters.”Each stall also displayed signs advertising their media appearances or interviews, seemingly to boast about their fame and attract customers—come get your petty people beaten by me. It’s said thateach session of beating the petty people costs 50 Hong Kong dollars (around 200 New Taiwan Dollars). ▲ % Level Yang Bi Pan Qian Shi Zhuan Pi Pai Nue E Zai? De Di Fang. L? Yong Mian Jiao You Yi Shang Jiao Jiao Zai Jiao Tao De Pai Zi, Qi Zhong You Yi Huang De Pai Zi You Sheng Xiao Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dia

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You can "beat the villain" any day of the year, but the most popular time is during the "Awakening of Insects"festival, as folklore believes that this is the day when all things are awakened by the spring thunder — including villains. Therefore, it’s best to strike first and beat the villains before they become active and start causing trouble. Without further ado, let’s see how the elderly ladies actually carry out the ritual of beating the villains!

▲The setup and tools in front of the vendor’s stall (Photo / Buji).

In front of the beating-the-villain stall, there are statues of deities such as Guanyin, Guan Yu, Sun Wukong, and Wong Tai Sin,probably to ask these gods to help suppress the villains. In front of the statues are ceremonial candles and fruit offerings, and nearby are bricks and shoes that the elderly ladies will use to beat the villains. These shoes are, to be precise,just the soles, and using them to beat the villains likely symbolizes the act of trampling the villains underfoot.

▲After the customer takes a seat, the elderly lady first lights incense sticks,Guests are asked to worship the deities in front of the stall, a process known as “offering to the gods.””(Photo / Buji).

▲Next, guests are invited to “report” to the deities,which meanswriting down or placing items representing the “target” person—such as their name, photo, birthdate, or clothing—on the “villain paper,” while writing one’s own name on a “Baijie Fu” charm that brings good fortune and wards off misfortune.After the guests finish writing, the elderly woman takes the villain paper and the Baijie Fu to pass them over the candle flame while chanting (Photo / Buji). ▲%After the old lady takes the villain paper and the fortune charm from both you and the other customer, she waves them over the fire and mutters incantations (Photo / Buji).

Then, the villain paper is placed on a brick, and she begins hitting it vigorously with a shoe sole,all the while repeatedly chanting in Cantonese:“I’m smacking your dead head, smacking you till you can’t breathe!! Smacking your villain feet, smacking you till you turn and run!”(Photo / Buji)Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack—the moment the shoe sole hits the brick, it makes an incredibly loud noise. It looks painful just watching it—wonder if that villain felt anything @ @.

After beating the villain paper (which symbolizes the person) into tatters, the elderly woman puts it inside a yellow paper tiger,

runs it around a small piece of raw pork smeared with pig’s blood,then burns the paper tiger along with the villain paper together,as if feeding the villain to a tiger. Once burned, it vanishes just like that.After burning the villain paper, the spirit medium takes a handful of rice and beans to sprinkle over the paper tiger to dispel disasters, then gently taps some “Nobleman Charms” (such as those for safety, longevity, or turning misfortune into fortune) onto the guests before also burning them. Finally, she burns joss paper for the spirits andtosses divining blocks—if a “shengbei” (lucky outcome) appears, the ritual is complete.

Both of these villain-beating stalls do good business, and the other elderly woman also has plenty of customers. Buji was just watching at the time but plans to give it a try in person next time he visits Hong Kong. Even if you don’t have anyone specific to “beat,” you can still go purely for blessings and to ward off misfortune. ▲%Here’s another villain-beating stall (Photo / Buji).Originally, Buji thought that beating villains took place in a dark little room where the customer and the ritual master (the villain beater) would face each other by candlelight. After receiving details about the person to be beaten, the master would perform strange spells, not only hitting the paper figure representing the villain but also using needles and such, creating a very eerie atmosphere.

It turned out Buji had watched too many movies, imagining villain beating as some kind of sinister Mao Shan sorcery or witchcraft. In reality, it’s quite public, carried out under the watchful eyes of others. Though somewhat mysterious, it’s not as terrifying as imagined.

Only after looking up some information afterward did Buji learn that villain beating

is usually done in dimly lit spots, at road junctions, under bridges, or near mountains—places believed to be more conducive to summoning spirits.

Another belief is that crossroads have stronger “sha qi” (noxious energy), which can suppress or injure villains. Moreover, in ancient times, this was genuinely a form of cursing ritual, but

nowadays, it’s merely a folk customthat allows people to vent their frustrations. The local government has even preliminarily listed “beating the villain” as; Another theory suggests that road forks are believed to have strong negative energy, which can suppress and harm malicious individuals. Moreover, in ancient times, this practice was originally a form of witchcraft used to curse others.; But nowadays, it’s merely a folk custom.; that allows people to vent their frustrations, and the local government has even tentatively classified “beating the villain” asHong Kong’s“Intangible Cultural Heritage”.

▲The process of “Beating the Petty Person” is quite unique (Photo / Unrestrained).

※Related information
Where to watch “Beating the Petty Person”: Under the Causeway Bay Goose Neck Bridge (Knutsford Terrace Flyover), at the junction of Knutsford Terrace West and Hennessy Road on Hong Kong Island.
MTR: Exit A at Causeway Bay Station, walk for 5 minutes along Russell Street towards the Goose Neck Bridge (Knutsford Terrace Flyover).

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