hkskyline
March 7th, 2009, 07:05 PM
'Fung shui street' plan to lure mainlanders
7 March 2009
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong should leverage keen mainland and overseas interest in fung shui and develop a one-stop "fung shui street", tourism sector legislator Paul Tse Wai-chun said.
Fung shui attracts local, mainland and overseas followers, who come to Hong Kong regularly for advice on everything from moving house to marital bliss.
"I've been eyeing Sheung Wan as a possible location," Mr Tse said. "I also like the Central market." He plans to meet government officials next week about the proposal.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Tourism Board welcomed the idea.
"Fung shui is one of the key areas that the HKTB has been promoting to showcase the cultural diversity of Hong Kong. We will look into contributing to the development of the project from a tourism promotion perspective, as and when appropriate," the spokesman said.
The board is expecting mainlanders to account for about two-thirds of Hong Kong's total visitors this year.
Fung shui master Mak Ling-ling, who supported the idea, said mainland visitors now accounted for about 70 per cent of her customers, up from some 40 per cent a few years ago. But if the street became a tourist magnet, it might be difficult for practitioners to do business there, she said.
"It's OK if people go there to shop around for fung shui products. But if it's flooded with tourists wanting to meet with us, we may not be able to handle everyone," Ms Mak said.
Celebrity fung shui master Peter So Man-fung said he had wanted to create a "fung shui mall" years ago. The mall would have featured shops providing different fung shui products and services, he said. But the idea fizzled amid difficulties in acquiring and developing properties.
He also pointed out that Hong Kong already had such a street in Temple Street in Jordan.
"Temple Street has plenty of shops with fung shui practitioners and is always full of tourists. I'm just a little worried about their authenticity. If people are just curious or looking for a bit of fun, Temple Street is fine," Mr So said.
"But for fung shui experts who are established in their profession, a fung shui street is probably not the ideal place to do business. I certainly would not set up shop there."
Chartered surveyor Teddy Ng Chun-wah, International Fung Shui Federation vice-president, welcomed the idea but said the cost of land would make it difficult to realise.
7 March 2009
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong should leverage keen mainland and overseas interest in fung shui and develop a one-stop "fung shui street", tourism sector legislator Paul Tse Wai-chun said.
Fung shui attracts local, mainland and overseas followers, who come to Hong Kong regularly for advice on everything from moving house to marital bliss.
"I've been eyeing Sheung Wan as a possible location," Mr Tse said. "I also like the Central market." He plans to meet government officials next week about the proposal.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Tourism Board welcomed the idea.
"Fung shui is one of the key areas that the HKTB has been promoting to showcase the cultural diversity of Hong Kong. We will look into contributing to the development of the project from a tourism promotion perspective, as and when appropriate," the spokesman said.
The board is expecting mainlanders to account for about two-thirds of Hong Kong's total visitors this year.
Fung shui master Mak Ling-ling, who supported the idea, said mainland visitors now accounted for about 70 per cent of her customers, up from some 40 per cent a few years ago. But if the street became a tourist magnet, it might be difficult for practitioners to do business there, she said.
"It's OK if people go there to shop around for fung shui products. But if it's flooded with tourists wanting to meet with us, we may not be able to handle everyone," Ms Mak said.
Celebrity fung shui master Peter So Man-fung said he had wanted to create a "fung shui mall" years ago. The mall would have featured shops providing different fung shui products and services, he said. But the idea fizzled amid difficulties in acquiring and developing properties.
He also pointed out that Hong Kong already had such a street in Temple Street in Jordan.
"Temple Street has plenty of shops with fung shui practitioners and is always full of tourists. I'm just a little worried about their authenticity. If people are just curious or looking for a bit of fun, Temple Street is fine," Mr So said.
"But for fung shui experts who are established in their profession, a fung shui street is probably not the ideal place to do business. I certainly would not set up shop there."
Chartered surveyor Teddy Ng Chun-wah, International Fung Shui Federation vice-president, welcomed the idea but said the cost of land would make it difficult to realise.