Mao Shan's brother reincarnated as Mao Zedong?

Mention Mao Shan and thoughts of powerful black magic come to mind, no thanks to Hong Kong movies depicting wizards of this sect of Taoism performing anything from good to evil for a lucrative fee.

Mao Shan actually is a term used loosely to refer to three things: a sect of Taoism founded in the 3rd century B.C.; the mountain Mao Shan (see pixs) located in Jintan County in Jiangsu Province in North China, which is regarded as the Holy Land of Taoism; and the founder of the sect whose full name is Mao San Zu Shi, who had two other younger brothers. Among Chinese Malaysians he is referred to as Mao San Sze Kung (Cantonese) or Mao San Su Kong ( Hokkien). In statues, he is depicted with a red face and a beard.

According to legend, Mao Shan Sze Kung and his two brothers were well-versed in herbal cures, exorcism, incantations, breathing exercises and dispensing of talismans for a variety of purposes. They practised their arts from Juqu Mountain during the 3rd century B.C. The commoners benefitted greatly from their knowledge, and the mountain was renamed Mao Shan in their honour. After their deaths, other Taoist masters who had learned the arts from the founder continued to practise there. The Mao Shan sect of Taoism reached its pinnacle during the Soong Dynasty (960-1279).

Once, I attended a mediumship session at a Mao Shan temple in Teluk Intan in the early months of 1976. Speaking through a medium, the deity made a passing remark: "Mao Zedong is the reincarnation of  my younger brother. He'll be coming back to join us soon." A few months later, on September 9, 1976, I was taken aback to read news that Mao Zedong died. Coincidence?

In Malaysia, the Mao Shan Sze Kung deity is not worshipped in many homes because of its reputed link with sorcery. However, this is an erroneous perception - it is the "master" (sifu) or medium who abuses his knowledge by casting harmful spells who is evil rather than the deity or the practices of the sect. Anyway, if you fall sick for no reason, and suspect a charm or spell has been put on you, your best bet is to consult a Mao Shan practitioner.

My recommendation is Mr Tan Kui Ling, a Teluk Intan-based, second-generation Mao Shan medium (HP. No. 016-5448727).  You can tell him -- his nickname is Tai Kow (Big Dog)-- that you got his number from me.  Getting to his humble temple in the former Jalan Incinerator is tricky but the villagers can give you directions. Sorry, he will not cast any evil spells for you, but you can try your luck by asking for three and four-digit lottery numbers. The amount of payment for your consultation is up to you.

/end

"South Pacific" movie not shot on Tioman Island

Rough Guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Footprint Malaysia Handbook, local travel websites and some travel literature (even those published by Tourism Malaysia but produced by outside agencies) have claimed that Malaysia's Tioman Island was the location where the Hollywood movie South Pacific (released in 1958) was filmed. I have been to Tioman; have also watched the original South Pacific on CD; I didn't see any iota of resemblance between any scene in the movie with any location on Tioman. A bit of research will reveal the actual location was the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

Colorado-based news portal, The Examiner (http: //www. theexaminer.com), reported that Ms Mitzi Gaynor, the film's star, had returned to Kauai in October 2009 to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary. The portal stated: "Popular sites like Hanalei Bay, Lumaha'i Beach and Mount Makana that were South Pacific's mystical island of Bali Hai are easily recognisable in the movie and by visitors coming to Kauai's north shore today."

/end