Villain hitting

Villain hitting
Villain hitting
	An example of a villain hitter and her client under the Canal Road Flyover in Hong Kong
Chinese	打小人
Literal meaning	striking little people
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	dǎ xiǎorén
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	dá síu yàhn
Jyutping	daa2 siu2 jan4

Villain hitting, da siu yan (Chinese: 打小人), demon exorcising,^[1] or petty person beating,^[2]^[3] is a folk sorcery popular in the Guangdong area of China and Hong Kong—primarily associated with Cantonese. Its purpose is to curse one's enemies using magic. Villain hitting is often considered a humble career, and the ceremony is often performed by older ladies, though some shops sell "DIY" kits.

Villain hitting has been preliminarily included in the list of "intangible cultural heritage" by the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau, and was selected as "Best Way to Get It Off Your Chest" in TIME magazine's 2009 "Best of Asia" feature.^[4]

^ *(in English) "Demon-exorcising Service at 'Goose-neck Bridge' " Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. My Heart, My Home – 18 Districts Reach Out Together for Lovable Sights in Hong Kong. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
^ Petty Person Beating – Hong Kong Tourism Board
^ Time to Beat Your Enemies – Time
^ The Best of Asia 2009 – TIME

[1] *(in English) "Demon-exorcising Service at 'Goose-neck Bridge' " Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. My Heart, My Home – 18 Districts Reach Out Together for Lovable Sights in Hong Kong. Retrieved 11 June 2006.

[2] Petty Person Beating – Hong Kong Tourism Board

[3] Time to Beat Your Enemies – Time

[4] The Best of Asia 2009 – TIME

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