Tuesday, March 17, 2015 The Standard - Kerby Kuek
About 700 years ago, the families of the Liu clan migrated from Fujian to Sheung Shui in the New Territories.Due to the growing number of families over the years, the need to build a hall to place one's ancestors and to pray for them as a sign of respect became urgent.
The Chinese always pay attention to filial piety and respect their elders.According to tradition, an ancestral hall that houses an altar brings more protection, prosperity and, most importantly, makes families more "productive," meaning more members. Ancestral worship is one of the most important customs in Chinese tradition.
The clan sought the feng shui master's advice for an auspicious spot to build the ancestral hall; however, that excellent site belonged to the Kan family. With good dragon and water elements there, this site was sure to bring kind and auspicious energy for generations.Back then people would do just about anything to grab an auspicious feng shui site.
The Liu family wanted to chase the Kans out of the hot feng shui spot. Almost every night they disturbed the place with scary and ghostly events as though it was being haunted by a spirit.The Kan family fell into their trap and overnight they migrated to the next village by the river.
The Liu family took the land and built their ancestral hall. The Liu clan was one of the five largest clans in Hong Kong.But the story does not end there.
Soon after the hall was built, the Liu clan was plagued by many bad incidents.According to the Kan side, one of the founders of the family passed away during a "haunted" event.
After several bad incidents, the Liu family was overcome with guilt and the clan decided to offer prayers to the Kan who passed away.
Later, things started to settle down but offering prayers at the pillar was disliked by the Kans.
Even today, the Kan family still treats this incident as a "kidnapping" of their ancestor. They have their founder's praying site near the Liu prayer hall.To add insult to injury, the pillar is not considered the proper site to pray.In feng shui jargon, this is known as "disrespect" and "unproductive."
The Kan clan blamed the slow growth of their families to this event, among others.
And after 600 years, the Kan clan is planning to invite their "kidnapped ancestor" back to their own ancestral hall!