Villain hitting, da siu yan, demon exorcising,[1] or petty person beating,[2] [3] is a folk sorcery popular in the Guangdong area of China and Hong Kong—primarily associated with Cantonese. Its purpose is to curse one's enemies using magic. Villain hitting is often considered a humble career, and the ceremony is often performed by older ladies, though some shops sell "DIY" kits.
Villain hitting has been preliminarily included in the list of "intangible cultural heritage" by the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau, and was selected as "Best Way to Get It Off Your Chest" in TIME magazine's 2009 "Best of Asia" feature.[4]
The concept of "villain" is divided into two types, specific and general.
Specific villains are individuals cursed by the villain hitter due to the hatred of their enemies who employ the hitter. A villain could be a famous person hated by the public such as a politician or could be personally known to their enemy, such as when the request is to curse a love rival.
Villain hitters may help their clients curse a general villain: a group of people potentially harmful to the clients.
Dualism is mainstream in the traditional Chinese world view, and many different kinds of folk sorcery beliefs derive from this view. The concept of Villain (Chinese: 小人) and Gui Ren (Chinese: 貴人, people who will do something good to the clients) comes as a result of this yin and yang world view.
The period for villain hitting is different among temples, but Jingzhe is the most popular date. According to some folklore, Jingzhe is the date when the whole of creation is awakened by thunder. As a result, different kinds of foul spirits including baihu and villains become active. Consequently, villain hitting on this day serves to prevent those harmful to others.
Villain hitting is often done in gloomy places such as somewhere under an overpass. In Hong Kong, the Canal Road Flyover between Causeway Bay and Wan Chai is a popular place for villain hitting. There are many villain hitters and clients here especially on Jingzhe.
The tradition of villain hitting can be traced back to an ancient custom from agricultural societies in the Guangdong region. According to the Chinese calendar, the year can be divided into twenty-four solar terms and spring is known as the "Awakening of Insects"—when hibernating animals awake from their slumber to forage and feed. To prevent the notorious white tiger from hunting and harming villagers, farmers will worship the white tiger by smearing pig's blood onto little paper tigers as a means of sacrifice and feeding the tiger. As time passed, "villains" gradually morphed into the role of the notorious white tiger and becomes the object of exorcisms and banishment.
Receiving orders from clients, villain hitters require human-shaped papers with or without some information of specific people. As part of the ceremony, they beat the papers with shoes or other implements. The whole ceremony of villain hitting is divided into eight parts: