Name(English): Villain Hitting
Name(Chinese): 打小人
Category: Culture and History
Address(English): Under Canal Road Flyover between Wan Chai and Causeway Bay
Address(Chinese): 銅鑼灣鵝頸堅拿道東
Address Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/MpYdbw15LoKEowY49
Address longitude and latitude: 22.278694806782187, 114.18140253368979
Nearest MTR Station: Causeway Bay MTR station Exit A
Nearest MTR Station Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/Up4jr3fUPznXfTcG9
Nearest MTR Station longitude and latitude: 22.27854587300722, 114.18239554408395
How far from the nearest MTR Station: 1 min walk from Causeway Bay MTR station Exit A
Opening Hours:
MON 06:00 – 19:00
TUE 6:00 – 19:00
WED 6:00 – 19:00
THU 6:00 – 19:00
FRI 6:00 – 19:00
SAT 6:00 – 19:00
SUN 6:00 – 19:00
Recommended Time to Visit: Very best on 驚蟄, a.k.a the day of awakening of insects. Usually around 5th to 7th March
Accessibility Note: Easy access
‘Da Siu Yan’, or ‘Hitting small people’, refers to a voodoo practice vernacular to the Guangdong region. ‘Small people’ refers to a kind of enemy, a villain who’s small, insignificant and despicable. Beneath the Canal Road Flyover that sits in between Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, you will find a handful of old ladies squatting on tiny stools, slipper in hand, in front of a shrine covered with colourful papers and burning incense.
The ‘Villain-Hitting’ ritual has been happening for over decades, but no one knows for exactly how long. Rooted in the traditions of agricultural society, villagers used to hold annual rituals at Spring to fend off a ravenous ‘White Tiger’, to defend their livestock and crops from being devoured. Gradually, the ‘White Tiger’ morphed into the more general, anthropomorphised ‘Villain’. Locals pay the old ladies, the ‘villain-hitter’, a fee ranging from HKD 50 to HKD 500 (mostly HKD 50), to curse their enemies, or banish their worst fears. Clients range from businessmen who hope to beat their competitors, women who curse their husbands and their mistresses, students who simply want better grades.
The curious ceremony famously consists of a piece of paper on which a human figure is drawn with “X” over his mouth, hands and feet. The ‘villain-hitter’ might write down the name of villain, and proceeds to slap each part with a slipper, chanting:
”Beat your little hand, Your luck has run out,
Beat your little eye, Very soon you’ll die,
Beat your little foot, Everything is bad…”
You don’t necessarily need to have a sworn enemy to experience the villain hitting ceremony, just stand below the Canal road Flyover for a few minutes and you’ll see some action.
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