<div id="readability-page-1">Local residents and tourists flocked to the wishing tree in Tai Po on the first day of the Lunar New Year to pray for good health, happiness and prosperity for Hong Kong. Despite intermittent showers and temperatures of around 18 degrees Celsius (64 Fahrenheit) marking the first day of the Lunar New Year, little dampened visitors’ enthusiasm for hanging their wishing placards on the tree. In Hong Kong, it is traditional to write one’s wishes on a card attached to an orange-shaped plastic ball and throw it onto a banyan tree in the village. It is believed that wishes will be granted if the card is successfully hung on a branch of the tree. “Even if it rains, I would still come,” said Wilson Chan, a 62-year-old civil servant who visits the site every Lunar New Year. “As I get older, I wish for my good health.” Anthony Chan, a 29-year-old finance worker, tried four or five times before successfully throwing his wishing placard onto the tree. “I wish for everyone good health and every trade in Hong Kong beginning to flourish, as well as a lower unemployment rate,” he said. Chan, who lives on Hong Kong Island, said he had been making his Lunar New Year wishes here for around a decade. “The rural area has stronger festive vibes so I come here to experience it,” he said. Another resident, retiree Lisa Li in her sixties, travelled from Fanling to wish for good health and a better environment for the city. Tourists and foreign domestic helpers were also among the crowd making wishes.  Charlotte Friend, a 30-year-old teacher from England, travelled to Tai Po from her hotel in Wan Chai. “I teach English in my country. Sometimes I get [students] from Hong Kong and they talk about [the tree], so I wanted to see it,” she said. “It is very interesting because it is very different from what we have back home. We don’t have any celebrations like this.” Friend said her new year’s wish was happiness for everyone. Filipino domestic helper Christy Biscarra Bote, spending her first Lunar New Year in Hong Kong, travelled from Happy Valley to make a wish. “[I wish] my employer is good to me all the time, and all my friends and family can be in good health,” she said. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival – a carnival with a pop-up market and booth games – will be running in the area from Tuesday until March 3. At the festival’s opening ceremony, Acting Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Clement Woo Kin-man extended his wishes for the country’s prosperity and the flourishing of all trades in Hong Kong. Woo has been serving in the role since Erick Tsang Kwok-wai resigned in January, citing health reasons. When asked for an update on the search for a minister – who will play a key role in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s initiative to formulate the city’s first five-year plan – Woo did not provide any new information. “I am acting as the [secretary] and we will coordinate on the formulation of the plan,” he said, adding that different bureaus and departments would launch consultations on the plan after China’s “two sessions” concluded in March. Last week, the government appointed Maggie Wong Siu-chu as the Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs. She previously held an equivalent post at the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau.</div>

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<p>Local residents and tourists visited the wishing tree in Tai Po on Lunar New Year, despite rain, to pray for health and prosperity. Visitors hung wishing placards on the tree, a tradition believed to grant wishes. The Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival will run until March 3, featuring a market and games. Acting Secretary Clement Woo extended wishes for the country's prosperity and mentioned ongoing consultations for the city's five-year plan after the upcoming "two sessions" in March. Maggie Wong was appointed as the new Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs.</p>

Hong Kong crowds flock to Tai Po wishing tree for Lunar New Year blessings