‘More scared of poverty than death’: prayer trumps care for injured man on hike to ‘world’s best’ good fortune temple in China

A man in China has shocked mainland social media by refusing hospital treatment after fainting on a hike to the “best temple of wealth in the world” and insisting he be allowed to carry on so he could turn around his money problems.

The man, 26, began walking up the 314-metre-tall Beigaofeng, also known as the Hangzhou Northern Peak, to visit the Lingshun Temple in Hangzhou, eastern China’s Zhejiang province, at 8am on October 16. He started the trip right after working until 5am the same morning and skipping breakfast.

According to hangzhou.com.cn, he was about a dozen metres from the temple when he collapsed, fell and suffered head injuries.

When a police officer, Ji Jiangming, asked him to go to hospital, he hesitated and said: “Could you wait? I want to worship the God of Fortune before I go.”

The operators of the temple even accommodated the man by restarting a cable car service which had been closed for maintenance for months.

The man said he had made a special trip to worship the gods to improve his luck and make more money. He did not want to return without praying at the temple.

Police and the medical workers were dumbfounded by his response and kept trying to persuade him to give up on visiting the temple.

“Do you want to live or not? The temple is always open. Come after you recover,” the police officer said.

The Lingshun Temple is known as “the world’s most effective” God of Fortune temple, and the Five Prominent Gods of Fortune have been worshipped there since the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).

During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), literary figure Xu Wencai was so impressed by the temple he inscribed a plaque that read “the world’s most effective God of Fortune Temple”.

It was named by the Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song dynasty and was visited by Emperor Qianlong (r.1735 – 1796) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) and Mao Zedong, the first leader of modern China.

On the Chinese lifestyle social networking platform Xiaohongshu, people have also been sharing their opinions on the efficacy of the temple.

Some said they won a lottery scratch ticket or escaped being cheated by scammers after visiting the temple.

The story has received 4 million views on Douyin and amused many.

“He is more scared of poverty than death,” said one online observer.

“I feel him. It is, after all, the greatest God of Fortune temple in the world,” said another.

“It makes sense to me. How would he pay the hospital if he didn’t worship the God of Fortune?” joked a third.