What is the answer?

易經

Fortune telling is said to have connections with one of the most ancient Chinese books, the Yi Ching, where the concept of Yin and Yang came from.

Chinese Fortune Telling

  The Chinese word for fortune teller means “one who counts life”. The occupation of fortune-telling can be traced back to the beginning of civilization in China. During the Shang Dynasty — the earliest governing dynasty of China established in recorded history, leaders would practice divination by interpreting the pattern of cracks on a burnt tortoise shell or the shoulder blade of an ox. It was a period in which divination was at the forefront of decisions concerning the nation’s destiny. The rise of the Zhou Dynasty saw perhaps the most influential inventions in the history of Chinese fortune-telling. Among these innovations are trigrams, hexagrams, and a classic piece of literature in the field, the I Ching, which can still be found in bookstores worldwide.

A Popular Remedy for Fear

  In traditional East Asian cultures, the ability to tell fortunes is viewed as a gift—a way to help people make an accounting of life, interpret the past, and make good decisions about the future. Although East Asian society may appear modern and westernized on the surface, ancient and deeply held beliefs about divination are still common. People look to fortune telling for answers concerning a wide variety of life events: a loved one’s illness, starting a new business, passing college entrance exams, when to get married, whether their unborn child will be healthy and successful. From morning to evening, divination blocks are thrown, fortunes are drawn and deciphered, and offerings are made in the hopes of a favorable outcome being revealed.

Benefits of Chinese Fortune Telling

  Many fortune tellers purely use ancient methods, supposedly containing ancient wisdom (though none of their predictions have been scientifically validated). Others compliment their methods with deductions based on your reactions, appearance, etc. for sometimes startling accuracy. In any case, prices are usually lower than in the West. One of the benefits of fortune telling for some is its entertainment value, like the thrill of live magic, or experiencing a real-life Sherlock Holmes try to read a person (you) at first sight. If the soothsayer is good you may well hear a few home truths (that are deducible by a perceptive person). A visit to a fortune teller might be as valuable as a visit to a psychologist or doctor or religious advisor!

From Thriving to Surviving

  In Beijing, next to the famous Yonghe Temple — a sacred site for tourists and Buddhists alike, on Yonghe Avenue in central Dongcheng district, traces of China’s once-flourishing fortune-telling tradition remain today.Pay close attention as you pass by the avenue, where shops are mostly filled with Buddhist ritual instruments, and you may notice red or yellow cardboard signs hanging at the entrances of hutongs. These hastily crafted cutouts are the unapproved signboards of remaining fortune-tellers, and they lead to the seers’ places of business.Government officials prohibit the city’s remaining visionaries from operating street-facing shops — not even a signboard is allowed. So they stay hidden, tucked in the dark corners of Beijing’s ancient neighborhoods.