Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in Lam Tsuen, Hong Kong

The Lam Tsuen area of Hong Kong has been inhabited for over 700 years and its continued survival can be partly attributed to the famed Wishing Trees located in Tin Hau Temple which are said to grant any wish that can get caught in their branches, although nowadays those wishes are simply relegated to a wooden rack. 

Tin Hau Temple dates back to the late 1700’s when it was constructed during the Qing dynasty and one of the nearby trees (originally a camphor) was soon dubbed to grant wishes. Thus was the tradition started that has drawn locals and visitors to the supposedly enchanted plants for hundreds of years. Visitors would write their desires on small joss paper scrolls (a parchment specifically used for offerings) and then tie or simply throw them into the branches of the tree. The higher the wish got stuck, the better chance it had to come true, but if it fell out it was not to be.

In more modern times, this practice has been transferred to a 200-year old banyan tree, but when a couple of large branches, weighed down by too many wishes, broke off and actually injured bystanders, the local government stepped in and outlawed the placing of wishes on the tree. However, to provide an outlet for everyone’s desire for wish fulfillment, a wooden rack was constructed near the original tree and a fake plastic wishing tree was even built.

In 2008 a smaller banyan was planted a few meters from the original so that the actual growing wish tree line would not die out, although casting wishes into it is also outlawed. Most people simply make their wishes on the colorful plastic tree in Lam Tsuen, although the efficacy of this replacement is not known.