Features of the Folk Religion

In the wake of World War II, Sik Sik Yuen organised its first calamity–averting prayer ceremony to appease the dead and bless the living by guiding the ghosts of Taoists who perished during the war out of purgatory. During the 1950s, Tsik Chung Wong Sin Chi had a clinic set up next to the main temple building. There would be long queues outside as people sought free consultations and prescriptions. The Temple is visited by over 10,000 worshippers every day. Since its opening to the public in 1956, Wong Tai Sin Temple has attracted large numbers of worshippers and tourists year round. Every year on Wong Tai Sin’s birthday, the podium for making prayers is filled with worshippers. A lively scene of devotees scampering to offer “the first incense of the year”.

A worship scene at the Temple on Wong Tai Sin’s birthday. During the middle part of the ceremony, the chief ritual master presents the memorial while other members kneel. Thousands line the streets to pay tribute to Wong Tai Sin on his parading tour. The exterior of Tsik Chung Wong Sin Chi. Main Altar for worshipping Master Wong Tai Sin.

Celestial Prescriptions of Sik Sik Yuen: Celestial Prescriptions for Men. Celestial Prescriptions of Sik Sik Yuen: Celestial Prescriptions for Men. Celestial Prescriptions of Sik Sik Yuen: Celestial Prescriptions for Surgery
As early as 1897, the Po Ji Tan on Xiqiaoshan, Guangdong, from where Sik Sik Yuen originated, was already offering prescriptions through fuji, or “spirit-writing divination”. Popular among devotees at the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple in the 1920s and 30s, these prescriptions were grouped under five categories: “men”, “women”, “children”, “eye” and “surgery”. Celestial Prescriptions of Sik Sik Yuen: Celestial Prescriptions for Surgery
As early as 1897, the Po Ji Tan on Xiqiaoshan, Guangdong, from where Sik Sik Yuen originated, was already offering prescriptions through fuji, or “spirit-writing divination”. Popular among devotees at the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple in the 1920s and 30s, these prescriptions were grouped under five categories: “men”, “women”, “children”, “eye” and “surgery”. Celestial Prescription Printing Blocks of Sik Sik Yuen:
Printing Block of Celestial Prescription for Men (No. 57)
Research shows that only children under the age of seven were classified under the “children” category; older ones were grouped under either “men” or “women”. Apart from serving as a prescription, the explanatory texts of fortune sticks also contain didactic words that advise people to repent for their wrongdoings and make good. The printing block offers proof that the temple printed its own fortune-telling texts and offered help to people through spirit-writing divination.