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HONG KONG, Sunday (Reuters)

Under a flyover in Hong Kong, dozens of people wait in line to hire old women, adept with curses, to smack paper effigies representing their enemies.

For a small fee, they hope this age-old Chinese superstition, called "beating the small men" -- referring to those who behave shamefully -- will end their money problems.

"I want to get (Chief Executive) Tung Chee-hwa and (Financial Secretary) Antony Leung beaten," said waitress Lin Ning.

"The economy is getting worse and worse," the 49-year-old said. "And Antony Leung is raising taxes!"

Plagued with all sorts of money woes from pay cuts and retrenchment to higher taxes, many in Hong Kong are turning to superstition in a desperate bid to ditch their bad luck.

For just HK$50 (U$6.40), the old women, experts in the ritual, begin "beating" the effigies in front of a small altar and some burning candles, casting curses on the unknowing enemies.

"Let me beat your head, you small man, so you can't breathe. Beat your hands, so they can't move," one old woman mumbled.

Leung announced broad tax hikes in his budget speech to bridge a gaping deficit, promptly infuriating many. The territory has been plagued by joblessness, pay cuts and a sluggish economy for several years.

"With this poor economy, more people have come to beat their small men," said one of the old women.

Another, who identified herself as "Grandmother Kam", said her clientele now included a lot of young people in their 20s with problems at work.

"Quite a lot of housewives also have small men beaten for their sons, hoping they can keep their jobs," Kam said.

The ritual is mostly on the "Waking of Insects" day annually, which fell on Thursday, March 6, this year.

In ancient times, Chinese believed insects rouse from hibernation that day and they would begin beating the pests. Over time, this tradition grew into one of symbolically beating one's enemies.

Single parent Lin says her employer is among her "small men".

"In the past two years, my boss cut my salary three times and reduced my holidays," she said, holding back tears. "By beating the small men, I hope my job will be secure."

Even those not feeling the pinch of the economic downturn are trying to pre-empt future misfortunes.

"We're not in financial difficulty yet. But as the economy is not good, we feel safer to beat the small men in good time just in case," said Theresa Poon, a housewife in her 40s, who opted to perform the ritual herself to avoid having to line up.. 

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