Worshiper slams Che Kung Temple staffers for upselling offerings

A female worshiper took to the social platform Threads to recount her disappointing experience at Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin, where she and her boyfriend sought blessings for the upcoming year.

Describing herself as a frequent visitor to the temple, she shared that upon arrival, they came across a stall offering incense sticks priced at HK$60 and HK$90 for worship. Wanting to enter the main hall to pray, they opted for two packs of HK$90 incense sticks as advised by the temple staff.

To their surprise, once inside the temple, they realized that anyone who holds three incense sticks was allowed entry to the main hall, irrespective of the type of incense sticks purchased, with no requirements for worshipers to buy a pack each.

The woman felt misled and suspected the staff had intentionally tricked them into buying the more expensive incense sticks.

However, the disappointment did not stop there. After entering the main hall, the woman had to purchase offerings to worship Tai Sui, as her zodiac sign was “offensive to Tai Sui” this new lunar year.

Those whose zodiac signs offend Tai Sui may experience various misfortunes, such as financial losses or setbacks in their careers, during that particular year. Individuals can resolve Tai Sui’s influence with a Daoist ritual to resolve the issues.

She wrote in her post that the temple staff advised her to purchase offerings with a marked price of HK$278 for the ritual, yet she later found out that there were other offerings with a lower price at HK$90 and HK$168 respectively, which were also applicable for the ritual.

She slammed the temple staff online for their lack of transparency, questioning their integrity in handling worshipers' contributions.

Her encounter sparked a flurry of responses from netizens who shared similar experiences. Some recounted instances of feeling pressured into purchasing higher-priced offerings without being informed of alternative choices. 

Some, meanwhile, said the temple staff refused to help with the rituals after they denied purchasing the offerings at a higher price.

Che Kung Temple, managed by the Chinese Temples Committee in accordance with the Chinese Temples Ordinance, reported an annual surplus of over HK$15 million as of March 31, 2023, making it the top-grossing temple among the committee's 24 temples. The committee's chairperson is the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs.