DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING TO CHANCE

IN HONG KONG, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HELP LUCK ALONG

- BY Françoise Hauser

Should I really change jobs? And if so, when is the best time? Is my girlfriend really the love of my life? And is it worth moving?

Master Lim answers questions like these every day. The fortune teller has his office in Mongkok, a typical residential district in the north of the Kowloon Peninsula, in one of the many high-rise buildings that tower densely into the sky here. Tourists rarely venture into this area unless they are strolling through one of the night markets.

But it’s worth a visit, at least if you want to look into the future. An elevator takes you to the fifth floor of the concrete building with its rather austere atmosphere: Under the glaring light of two neon tubes, Lim sits in his one-room office and grins mischievously at his visitor from Europe.

The former printer realized his true calling as a fortune teller several years ago, apprenticed himself to a master, and now helps others forge their own luck. Master Lim also has employees. Five of them. Admittedly, they are rather undemanding—and taciturn, as they are tame white finches. Bird fortune-telling is one of his specialties.

He curtly hoists a small cage on to the table, in which three finches peer curiously through the bars. A quick mention of the date of birth, then it's down to business.

When asked, “How will my career develop?” Master Lim nods and opens the cage door. One of the birds hops out at lightning speed and, after a moment's hesitation—the little bird knows how to build suspense—pecks out an envelope.

Inside is a short passage from a classic poem, which Lim now interprets as an answer to the question. And it’s positive: “It’s clear,” he says, “your career will take off in the new year, and your next book will be a bestseller!”