The Rise of a Refugee God: Hong Kong's Wong Tai Sin Unknown - 1993

From the rear cover

How and why does a god ascend from obscurity to fame? This book unravels the mystery of the rise of Wong Tai Sin, the most popular god amongst Hong Kong Chinese today. Once a marginal figure of Taoist legend, he is now worshipped by hundreds of thousands of people. So much is he a part of contemporary Hong Kong life, that Wong Tai Sin has had a subway stop named after him and counts local television stars amongst his followers. Originally a healing god, he is now consulted by the territory's anxious urbanites about families, careers, health, and even emigration. His is a 'supernatural' version of the rags-to-riches success stories so common amongst the people who fled to Hong Kong to escape the poverty and political upheavals of China. The worship of Wong Tai Sin began in a small 'spirit-writing' group formed during the bubonic plagues of the 1890s in Guangdong province. After migrating to Hong Kong, the group's founder established a small temple to the god in Kowloon. Then, a unique mixture of circumstances catapulted the god to fame as waves of refugees and squatters settled near the temple, struggling and sometimes prospering as Hong Kong itself struggled and prospered. The rise of a new god is a relatively rare event. Attempts to explain the reasons are also rare. In this unusual study, the authors have pieced together one such puzzle, telling a story that will fascinate both general readers and scholars.