By RK Shih / Staff
KAOHSIUNG — TVBS reports that a fifth-grade elementary school student won the grand prize of a hybrid SUV valued at NT$800,000 following a divination competition at the Wujia Guandi Temple (五甲關帝廟) in Fongshan District (鳳山區) on Monday.
According to temple officials, the annual Lantern Festival (元宵節) event attracted more than 16,000 participants. Just 238 contestants advanced to the final round after successfully throwing six consecutive “yes” results with jiaobei (筊杯), or crescent-shaped wooden divination blocks, during the preliminary heats held throughout the Lunar New Year period.
In the final tie-breaker “PK” round, a 10-year-old boy recorded eight consecutive “holy matches” (聖杯 — where the blocks land with one flat and one curved side up). Two other finalists fell short with seven consecutive successful throws and were each awarded a 125cc motorcycle as runner-up prizes.
The boy’s mother stated that while the child was nervous during the final round, the family maintains a long-standing devotion to the deity Guan Sheng Di Jun (關聖帝君), whose image they also worship at home. Still, she said the win of the vehicle was definitely a “surprise.”
