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Jingzhe, the “awakening of insects” festival that falls a few weeks after the start of the Lunar New Year, took place on Thursday – marking the third of the Chinese calendar’s 24 solar terms.
People engaging in a villain hitting exercise, also known as “da siu yan,” outside Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.The festival is named for the awakening of insects from hibernation as spring arrives.
A common ritual during Jingzhe is “villain hitting,” or da siu yan in Cantonese – a practice that involves cursing one’s enemies using paper effigies and incense.
A man prays with incense at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.The area beneath the Canal Road Flyover in Causeway Bay is well known for villain hitting, where the echo of slippers striking the concrete ground blends with the sounds of traffic.
Across Victoria Harbour, the streets outside Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom are another popular gathering spot during Jingzhe.
HKFP visited the area as devotees prepared their paper effigies and prayed for a prosperous year ahead.
A temple keeper prepares raw pig fat and tiger-shaped paper offerings to believers at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
A temple keeper prepares raw pig fat and tiger-shaped paper offerings to believers at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
People engaging in a villain hitting exercise, also known as “da siu yan,” outside Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
People engaging in a villain hitting exercise, also known as “da siu yan,” outside Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Devotees pray at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
A dove eats rice and beans scattered by believers at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
A man scatters rice and beans on the ground during a villain hitting exercise at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
A villain hitting exercise, also known as “da siu yan,” outside Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom district on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
A woman prays during villain hitting exercise at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
People engaging in a villain hitting exercise, also known as “da siu yan,” outside Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Raw meat and paper offerings on a tiger-shaped paper offering at Fuk Tak Temple in Hung Hom district on March 5, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
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