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Hong Kong Begins Year on Better Number

Posted on: Friday, 23 January 2004, 06:00 CST

Last year's ceremony to predict Hong Kong's prospects yielded an unlucky number, and the following months saw SARS ravage the territory. This year, a Hong Kong official picked a better number.

Lau Wong-fat, a top rural official, chose number 76 for the Year of the Monkey, from 100 numbered slips in a round bamboo container at the famous Che Kung Taoist temple in Shatin district.

The number 76, according to tradition, augurs a mixed year of difficulty and opportunity for Hong Kong. It also means that unity can overcome any problem and pave the way for a better future.

That number is certainly better than the No. 83 that Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho picked last year.

That number, which means "nothing will be good" and portends a very difficult time, matched by what Hong Kong experienced last year.

The SARS crisis, which erupted soon after the Chinese New Year, killed 299 people, bankrupted businesses and sent many out of work. The government under Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa also suffered an unprecedented political crisis that shattered public confidence.

Hong Kong's colorful entertainment industry also lost two major and beloved stars: Chinese pop diva and actress Anita Mui died of complications from cervical cancer in December, eight months after singer and actor Leslie Cheung committed suicide.

Ho, who picked the unlucky number, refrained from taking part in this year's ceremony, but did not give a reason.

Ho had tried to put a positive spin on last year's bad luck, saying that Hong Kong's disastrous year better prepared the territory for any new problems.

"We are stronger, more determined, more united," Ho said.

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