Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees
In February 2005, a main branch of the Lam Tsuen wishing tree gave way under the weight of placards and oranges thrown into it, and the Hong Kong government began asking visitors to stop throwing them. Wishers now throw at a fiberglass replica, and the 2026 festival around it ran from February 17 to March 3.
Field Guide Entry
At the Lam Tsuen Well-Wishing Festival, visitors write a name, a birthday, and a wish on a paper placard, tie it to a weight, and throw it at a tree. If the placard hangs on a branch, the wish is said to come true. Real oranges served as the weight until plastic ones replaced them. One Chinese-language account ties the smaller of the two real banyans to children and romantic relationships, and the larger to business, home, wealth, health, and study. Villagers burn incense and paper offerings at the larger tree's roots, which earned it the nickname "Incense Tree."
The trees stand beside a Tin Hau temple that one account dates to 1736 and another to around 1768 or 1771. The record does not say when wishing at the banyans began.
The 2005 collapse
Press accounts date the collapse to February 12, 2005, the 4th day of Lunar New Year, while one Chinese-language account says the 1st day. A main branch gave way under the placards and oranges. HK01 reports that several people were hurt, and English-language accounts name a 62-year-old man and a 4-year-old boy. The government bulletin of February 14, 2005, does not mention injuries. In it, Home Affairs Secretary Patrick Ho urged people to stop throwing placards, saying "a balance has to be struck between respecting traditional customs and preserving the tree." An iron gate was set beside the tree to take placards, and a contractor cleared them three times a day.
Two years of repairs
On February 17, 2007, the government asked visitors to hang placards on Chinese-style wooden racks beside the trees. The same release listed fertilizing, a bracing system, and pest control, and rated the tree's health as "fair." In a March 14, 2007, reply to the Legislative Council, the government said the trunk had "snapped off" about two years earlier and that the tree had suffered "substantial depletion of its vitality." Other accounts describe a fallen branch, not a snapped trunk.
The replica
A fiberglass banyan now takes the throws. Accounts date its installation to 2009 or 2010, and give its height as 4.5 meters, 15 feet, or 7.6 meters. The two real banyans are shielded from throwing. On February 6, 2019, the Young Post reported that a visitor dragged his placard through the replica and broke some of its branches, and security fenced the tree off.
The festival
Accounts date the festival's start to 2011 or 2013. It was suspended for two years before returning in January 2023. The Standard reported on February 4, 2026, that the festival had recorded close to 300,000 visits the year before.
Visiting Information
The festival runs for the first 15 days of the lunar new year and is free. In 2026, it ran February 17 to March 3, from 9am to 7pm, with days 2 to 6 open until 9pm. Placards are sold at festival stalls. In 2026, a special KMB 63R shuttle ran to the plaza from Tai Wo MTR station.
The plaza also holds a Chinese Zodiac Square with 12 sculptures, a wishing boulder, a pool for lotus lanterns, and wishing locks. It's best practice to hang placards on the wooden racks or throw them at the replica, as the real banyans are shielded.
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