Obviously, the 42-year-old gangster Zhou Kehua has no chance to know his "destiny", but it seems that someone has already seen everything. On August 11, a Zhouyi forecaster with the online name "Yangzhou Chen Ping 24" posted on "Tianya Community-Chongqing" that he learned through divination that the robbery and murderer Zhou Kehua would be shot before 7 o'clock on August 14.

The fact that Zhou Kehua was shot dead at 6:50 on August 14 proved that this divination was extremely accurate. At present, the number of clicks on this post has soared to more than 2 million, attracting everyone to worship: "I believe it!"

Nowadays, when going out, you must look for an "auspicious day" and when building a house, you must choose a "feng shui treasure place" "To make friends, you need to check your "zodiac signs", and when things go wrong, you go to "tarot divination or face reading"... These have become the normal life of some people.

Some netizens believe that this is because modern urbanites have been living in a complex and rapidly changing social environment for a long time and need to seek spiritual sustenance. These forms have undoubtedly become a carrier to help people obtain spiritual sustenance. Psychological safety.

As Peng Zhonghua, the head of Xintiandi Group, said in an interview with Xinmin Weekly, most of his clients come to seek help when they encounter blind spots in their lives or when they need to make changes. his help. The essential difference between him and the "fortune teller" is that the fortune teller gives people "fatalism"; while what he and his team bring to people is "the fate is in their own hands."

Perhaps, trying to change their destiny is why people try to seek help in these "mysterious disciplines".

Spiritual Sustenance

"Although we have an appointment, today is Saturday and there are many people, so we still have to wait. The tarot master here is super accurate." When meeting the reporter, Dong Wen (pseudonym) took the initiative to say hello. Behind her, there were five or six girls standing at the door of the shop.

The tarot divination parlor mentioned by Dong Wen is located on a small road in Huangpu District, Shanghai. In this small house of less than 10 square meters, there are various Tarot books and Tarot cards placed on the wall shelves. A rectangular table takes up almost half of the space in the house, with a crystal ball placed on the table. , candles and other props, and on one side of the table, sitting against the wall, is a very capable-looking girl with short hair. She is the "super accurate" tarot master in Dong Wen's mouth.

After waiting for more than half an hour, Dong Wen sat opposite the tarot master. It turned out that Dong Wen had a good job opportunity, but she was quite satisfied with her current job. Undecided between the two, she decided to listen to Tarot's opinion.

After learning about Dong Wen’s purpose, the tarot master first shuffled a round of cards, and then asked her to randomly draw two cards to represent her hand while thinking about two tasks. of two jobs. After a brief inspection, the tarot master began to analyze the pros and cons of the two jobs and their future development for Dong Wen. Following Dong Wen's questioning, the tarot master asked her to draw two more cards from the deck.

After some explanation, Dong Wen no longer frowned and seemed to have an idea. After thanking the tarot master, Dong Wen paid the divination fee of 80 yuan.

Nowadays, discussions about horoscopes and tarot divination can be seen everywhere. From personality and temperament, love patterns, marriage speed dating to career advice, the content of divination can be said to be "all-inclusive". At the same time, with the rise of this craze, similar tarot divination cabins have gradually become popular on urban streets.

Dong Wen told reporters that the price of 80 yuan per question is still relatively expensive. “The price here has gone up. When I first came here, the price was 60 yuan per question. In Shanghai, there are also 50 yuan per question. I’ve been to all the places I asked about, but in the end I thought this one was the most accurate.”

In Dong Wen’s opinion, tarot divination is currently more popular among young people, many of whom are well-educated. , perhaps because many urbanites are under high work pressure and lack friends to talk to in their lives, so they are more willing to turn their problems to fortune tellers they have never met and seek a kind of spiritual sustenance through mysterious divination techniques.

At the same time, Dong Wen believes that tarot divination is not equivalent to "fortune telling" in the traditional sense.

"First of all, it can only count specific questions. Abstract questions such as 'When will I have a boyfriend?' cannot be used for divination. Secondly, the tarot master will only ask you the questions you want to ask, and will not ramble on. By extracting other information, the results based on the card analysis are often very close to the truth. Furthermore, the results displayed by the tarot cards may just be your true inner thoughts. If you ask the same question after a period of time, the result will be different depending on the location of the questioner. There are different answers due to changes in the environment.”

“I also calculated whether Tarot would choose A or B when I was applying for the college entrance examination, and it turned out that Tarot was correct,” Dong Wen said frankly. I do tarot calculations only when I am most confused and confused, but no matter what the result of the divination is, I am the one who ultimately makes the decision.”

Of course, Dong Wen has also tried the more traditional Chinese methods. She is 28 this year. When she was 20 years old, she once went to Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong to seek a visa.

“I heard from my friends that it is very effective to seek marriage there. To be honest, I am afraid that I will become a ‘leftover woman’.” Dong Wen recalled that there is no money to apply for a marriage certificate there. Pay a certain fee, "I remember it was not expensive. After paying, you will get a number, and then go to the corresponding booth at the sign-off center."

What she didn’t expect was that the “master” who interpreted her signature was actually a fellow Shanghainese. "At that time, I felt that it was not very reliable, and what she said was quite ambiguous. The so-called interpretation center looked similar to a small commodity market. There were shops on both sides of the path. They not only had master interpretation, but also sold various products. Spells and the like." Dong Wen admitted that with the mentality of "I would rather believe it," in order to resolve the dilemma, she spent more than 300 Hong Kong dollars on a so-called "small meritorious deed" after finishing the signing. "As for the results..."

Horoscopes are also a big hit. For example, the horoscope written by the famous American astrologer Susan Miller was translated into Chinese by netizens and was widely reprinted in major Chinese forums. In China, there are many supporters of this "American Goddess".

As for "why horoscopes are so popular among people in the world", Dong Wen summarized the opinions on the Internet: first, horoscopes satisfy people's desire to understand themselves; second, horoscopes are uncertain about the future. It can offset the inner anxiety it brings to a certain extent.

Believe it or not?

In Hong Kong, Feng Shui has developed into a relatively mature industry. According to incomplete statistics, there are thousands of Feng Shui offices open to the public.

Whether they are ordinary Hong Kong citizens, wealthy families, small and medium-sized private companies, or large Chinese and foreign enterprises, they generally have a "faithful and spiritual" mentality towards Feng Shui. Feng shui can be seen everywhere in home and office settings.

Just the topic "Do you believe there is a Feng Shui building?" has attracted many Hong Kong netizens to reveal their experiences of living in a Feng Shui building in the Hong Kong real estate discussion forum. A netizen left a message on the forum and said, for example, that since he lived in a certain building in Tseung Kwan O District, his family suddenly had good fortune, and the area is exactly in line with the Feng Shui saying of "green dragon on the left, white tiger on the right", "mountain behind, sea in front" , This can be called a jade hug around the waist!”

It is not difficult to find that in recent years, these things that were once regarded as “superstitious” and have been vigorously banned are gradually coming out of the streets and streets. You can even legally rent a storefront to start a business by setting up a stall on a busy street. People can openly and openly ask a famous master to change their name, or invite a Feng Shui master to inspect their home.

Shanghai "Mei Ming Guan" is a professional naming company that has been in business for nearly 14 years. On the business license shown to reporters by Li Jialin, the person in charge of the company, the business scope column clearly stated "brand naming planning, consultation and services for font size creative design".

From the time he first came into contact with "Yixue" in 1989 to the present, Li Jialin has done considerable research on both name science and Feng Shui. In his opinion, when people encounter trouble and pain that cannot be solved, they will seek some mysterious knowledge to fill their empty hearts. "I myself only came into contact with this industry after having a family turmoil."

According to public reports, mainland Feng Shui companies are mainly concentrated in Beijing, Shenyang, the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, Fujian and other economically important areas. In developed places, most of them are still registered as cultural companies or consulting companies.

Its general business mainly has three parts: first, naming business, including naming people, changing names, naming brands, naming companies, etc. The fees range from a few hundred to tens of thousands, generally accounting for about 30% of the business volume; Architectural Feng Shui business, including site selection, home furnishings, etc., charges 3,000 to 50,000, generally accounting for about 30% of the business volume; the third is metaphysics (drawing symbols) and mascot business, accounting for 15-20% respectively. About the business volume; there are also some businesses, including cooperation with other companies to help companies design LOGOs, etc.

Li Jialin also said that due to social environment and other factors, the Feng Shui industry is still an "invisible industry" in the mainland, "but this does not affect its popularity, and it has become more open in recent years. Come higher and higher”.

Through word-of-mouth alone, Li Jialin’s clients have come from all walks of life, including celebrities, bosses of multinational corporations, and some Fortune 500 companies. "Of course, because the fees are relatively high, my clients generally have a good economic foundation."

After reviewing the information, the reporter found that Dr. Cheng Ping, a researcher at the Comprehensive Teaching and Research Department of the National Academy of Administration, had made the research many years ago. A survey was conducted. Among the more than 900 county-level civil servants surveyed, more than half believed in Feng Shui to some extent.

However, Dong Wen said that she also has friends who don’t believe this at all. "In their view, 'faith leads to spirituality' just like Murphy's Law tells us, things tend to develop in the bad direction you think of, as long as there is this possibility. They will say, since everything is possible "How can we say whether the results are accurate or not?" Dong Wen said, "Other people think that if fate can be easily changed as the numerologists say, how can there be differences between the poor and the rich?" In this case, it is better not to know.”

In this regard, some sociologists believe that horoscopes, Tarot, and even Feng Shui exist as a form of entertainment and may not necessarily be very harmful. But from another perspective, it is more important to establish a healthy outlook on life and values, and do not blindly promote the "divination trend".