Feng shui master and architect Michael Chiang is on the show today. His annual predictions will help uncover the energy of the Year of the Horse and what it may mean for Hong Kong.

Check out the full transcript of TVB’s Straight Talk host Dr Eugene Chan Kin-keung’s interview with Michael Chiang:

Chan: Kung Hei Fat Choy to all our viewers on Straight Talk! I'm Eugene Chan, your host. As we welcome the first day of the Chinese New Year, we are delighted to have back feng shui master and architect, Michael Chiang.

Chiang: Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Chan: His annual predictions have become a tradition, offering guidance on the opportunities and challenges ahead. This evening, we'll uncover the energy of the Year of the Horse and what it may mean for Hong Kong in a rapidly changing world. Kung Hei Fat Choy and welcome back to the show, Michael!

Chiang: Yeah, and Kung Hei Fat Choy to you also.

Chan: It's always been a very happy occasion to see you because we know it's Chinese New Year. And last year, we were in the Year of the Wood Snake, and now this year is the Year of the Fire Horse. So, what is it going to be this year? And what are the key themes or what we call energies of this new year?

Chiang: Now, if you go to YouTube this year in Chinese, you will find that there are a lot of predictions about this year as well as the next year. Because in the Chinese tradition of the 60-year cycle, this is the Fire Horse Year, and then next year is the Red Goat Year, okay? They both are elements of fire from the top, the heavenly step and the earthly step also. There is a book written in the Song Dynasty about this. They took a statistic saying that there will be a lot of calamities, a lot of problems in the Fire Horse Year. So, there are a lot of these rumors going on in town about this.

Chan: Right. Michael, before you go any further, when you mentioned the word fire, I'm sure all the viewers and I will be certainly woken up …

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: ... because of what we saw in November, the Wang Fuk Court tragedy that has saddened a lot of people. I mean, we lost 168 lives. Is this going to be a one-off event, or we may have to face more such disasters coming up?

Chiang: Actually, do you remember there was also a fire in the Central, just prior to that?

Chan: Yes.

Chiang: Now, there will be a lot ... let me slowly break it into two parts, okay? Now, next year is the Year of the Fire, but we have another element to count. So, that element is what we call “lap yam”…

Chan: Ok.

Chiang: … which is the element of Water. Now, so strangely, it's a water and fire year, not actually pure fire. And the thing is, from the climatic perspective, there will be a lot of rain and flooding probably, in spring and autumn, and summer. So, if the officials hear this Straight Talk, they should be getting ready to clean out all this dead … blocking ...

Chan: Sewage.

Chiang: … channels and things like that. Because, like the fire last year, the fire is actually going on and on. But, actually, if you check the statistics, there is almost five to six fires in town. But the point is, there are not so many casualties. So, the number of casualties doesn't reflect the degree of fire. It actually reflects that our officials are not ready to take care of things. They don't get aware of the problem.

Chan: Right, Michael, I want to assure you as a District Council member myself, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau has been making sure all the District Councils, making sure all the local sewages, all the blockages is clear. There's a reason recently with the heavy rain, we didn't have that much flooding. So, that's something that we're doing right. So, hopefully, with what you're telling us about the fire, we've got to be very careful as well.

Chiang: Yes, because next year it will be like this. In the spring and summer, it will be heavy rain and flooding. In the summer, it will be extremely hot. We have been told about record-breaking temperatures. You haven't seen nothing yet.

Chan: Right.

Chiang: OK? And then in the autumn and winter …

Chan: Winter.

Chiang: … fire, even explosion, or even this kind of casual …

Chan: Accident?

Chiang: … no, casual attack on innocent people.

Chan: I see.

Chiang: And also this kind of family calamity will increase.

Chan: So, there are a lot of problems coming up. Is there anything we can do? Or this is fate?

Chiang: According to the Chinese tradition, do some good deeds.

Chan: All right, ok.

Chiang: Pay charities. Help others.

Chan: But that's something that we should all do anyway, but do more, and hopefully we'll have more blessings.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Right, so thank you for enlightening us. Another thing that you talked about last year, your prediction, I've checked what we've said last time, that you said that the property market will be stable, but not as prosperous as in the past 20 years, and the stock market will be running like a roller coaster. I mean, that's certainly been the case I think. So, you've been very correct. I'm sure the viewers are going to ask you what's going to happen to the property market this year and the share market.

Chiang: I am happy that, you know, my prediction last year didn't fail you. You know, he has been texting me every year. Okay, the property market will rise a little bit, but the point about … I warn people about property is that it will not be like the past 20 years where you pay a deposit and then you just simply wait for the building to be built and then the price has already risen for one more million. So, it will not be the case. It will be a little bit of gain in footstep. And also the kind of units that is on sale is broken into two markets, the smaller units will not get too much rise, whereas the bigger units will see a substantial increase.

Chan: Are we talking about the so-called more luxury market …

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: … should be all right? Since you're on to that, and how about the share markets?

Chiang: The share market will be another rollercoaster coming up …

Chan: Okay.

Chiang: … because I'm a little bit pessimistic about the US market. So, you can imagine what happens if the US market jumps. Now, for example, just before the new year, you see a crisis there where the US stock, the gold, the silver and the Bitcoin all fell because of the stars up in the sky. And also because there is a solar eclipse on Feb 17. So, there's another eclipse in August in the United States.

Chan: In other words?

Chiang: That's another junction. Everybody should take care of.

Chan: Right. So, in other words, be very careful with the stock market.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Right, one area that we also talk about is a period of eight calendar that we used to have, and now we are into a period of nine, right?

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: And I've read that the period of nine is linked with fire, and that is running from 2024 to 2043.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Signifying both the destruction and creation. You mentioned the destruction part.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: What will be the creation part with fire?

Chiang: Actually, in the period of nine, we have two elements that are affecting us. One is metal, another one is fire. Now, people who have a little bit of knowledge about Chinese pantology will know that fire will burn down or melt the metal.

Chan: Right.

Chiang: But mind you, there's another catch there, because how is metal extracted? They all come from the earth and then the fire hits the earth and then the metal come out. So, earth, fire and metal will be the elements that will be prosper in this 20 years. The best one is the metal and fire.

Chan: Oh, what is the metal and fire? Is it gold?

Chiang: No.

Chan: Is gold a metal as well?

Chiang: Yes, gold is a metal. And also the rare earth in a sense.

Chan: I see.

Chiang: But there's one which is obvious. And which is the problem with Hong Kong is that our business has a mismatch with what is prosperous. For example, batteries, electric cars, ships, airplanes, missiles …

Chan: Right.

Chiang: … drones. You see, all this is metal and fire but there's no industry in Hong Kong …

Chan: … that's related to it.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Right. Michael, let's go on a short break now. We'll be back with more Straight Talk.

Chan: Welcome back. Thank you, Michael, for giving us your outlook for Hong Kong and the world in the Year of the Horse. So, before we move on a personal level, Michael, I want to ask you a bit more on the world. Since you mentioned about what Hong Kong can do, you were saying that we miss out some of the important, good business that we don't do. Is there anything in Hong Kong that we can still pick up?

Chiang: One of the metaphors of period nine is about cosmetics and deception. So, there's a lot of AI, a lot of IT, and also a lot of those cosmetic make-up shops. Now, those are small businesses, but they are good in this kind of period. But the bad thing about this is also those AI crooks change the face and get your money.

Chan: Right. So, what you're saying is, be aware of all the deception cases going on.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: I mean, I read from a recent police report that that's something that we have maintained at quite a stable level, but then it's still quite a high level compared to other crimes that we have.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: So, we could be very careful about all the deceptive telephone calls or messages that they'll get money from you.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Right, okay. So, let's make it more macro-ly now. Hong Kong has been bouncing back and do you see the Hong Kong economy doing well in the next 12 months?

Chiang: I think Hong Kong's economy is subject to the environment, the world environment. In the Year of the Fire Horse, there is a high chance of actual conflicts, actually.

Chan: Right, okay. Michael, so Hong Kong's economy will rely on the world's influence.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: But how about the Chinese mainland? I mean, we managed to have 5 percent growth in 2025.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: And what do you think in the Year the Horse? How will our mainland do?

Chiang: Usually, I don't believe in GDP.

Chan: Michael, I also checked what we just talked about last year. You talked about the next 20 years going to be the era of I&T, which we see now. I think everything got AI, etc, etc, happening. So, we're now on the way of becoming an I&T hub. Are we moving fast enough, or do you think we're still lagging behind?

Chiang: I think we are moving in a pace that I have never seen in the last 20 years, but we are still lagging behind.

Chan: So, we can still do better?

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Right. And another area we want to touch on this Hong Kong weather that you have already mentioned, that we have a record number of red and black rainstorms last year. That's sort of echoing what you said earlier, that although there may be fire, family calamities, and also with flooding. So, it's going to be quite eventful coming up in the next year.

Chiang: Yes. Don't think that if you are living in a luxurious villa, you are out of trouble. If you have a small stream next to your house, be careful.

Chan: Right, all right. Michael, on the world scene, you mentioned you’re worried about the world conflicts. I mean, let's move further out from this Asian area. The war in the Middle East looks like it has reached a ceasefire for the time being, with hostages being returned. But the Ukraine conflict is still going.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Do you think this will end? You said it might end last year. It didn't end. So, when is it all ending?

Chiang: Because last year I mentioned about the Pluto, Uranus and Neptune conjunctions, these last for three years – 2025, 2026 and 2027. So, I think we will probably end up with signing agreements or something in this year and then it really end in 2027.

Chan: Right, Michael, thank you for your view. You know, the US is also sort of the major player at the moment, causing many things happening on the news headlines every day. So, how about with President Trump? Are we going to expect even more surprises in 2026?

Chiang: Yes, I'm …

Chan: An immediate response, right?

Chiang: … I'm looking forward to what happened to him, because the US President has a curse of 20-year cycle where he is assassinated.

Chan: Oh, really?

Chiang: Yes. It happened with Kennedy, Reagan, and also “junior” Bush, and now it is Trump. But the problem with Trump is that he came under assassination attempts before he became president.

Chan: Right.

Chiang: So, can we count on that? Can we count it out? But also, he is making his banquet hall next to the White House. That is in a very bad position for the Year God.

Chan: Right. Okay.

Chiang: So, I'm looking forward to what will happen to him.

Chan: Okay, Michael, this is your personal view again.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: From that perspective, you were expecting something might happen to the president of the United States, from what you have learned before.

Chiang: Yes.

Chan: Right, let's move on. We have moved on to the personal zodiac signs. What would be a good year for a Year of the Fire Horse? Which zodiac would be good this year?

Chiang: This year the good one will be the Chicken and then the Snake and then the Ox, and the next one second best is the Rabbit.

Chan: Right, thank you.

Chiang: Because this year for the Chicken and the Rabbit, there's a high chance of getting married or having a child.

Chan: Right.

Chiang: Okay, so this is the good thing and then for the Ox it will be quite a prosperous year.

Chan: Right.

Chiang: Okay, so the not-so-good ones are the Horse and then the Rat and then the Tiger and the Dog.

Chan: Right, how bad will they be?

Chiang: The Horse will be the worst.

Chan: Okay.

Chiang: So, try to stay away from a lot of lawsuits.

Chan: I see.

Chiang: And also because Horse and Horse in Chinese astrology have a special meaning: “Ma ying Ma.” So, this is a bad year for Horse.

Chan: Right. Michael, let's move on to the chart. This is your specialty.

Chiang: No.

Chan: Let's tell the viewers what they can do and what they should do.

Chiang: Now this year, I set out the first, the bad position. The worst position is in the south. If your house is open, your door is to the south, be careful. So, what we should do is to hang a wind charm right next to the door to avoid calamities. The next bad one is northwest. This is the sign of the sickness. I've done a lot of things there to try to avoid, try to get a gourd. You can paint it black color because normally the gourd you buy on the market is a natural one. So, get some spray paint and then paint it black and then stick two cords on the gourd and then also hang two bags of Chinese medicine. This one, very simple, you can buy “ya say mei”, all this kind of …

Chan: Simple ones.

Chiang: … simple ones and then hang it up there and then hang at the northwest corner. And also on the ground, you put a yellow carpet again with two cords.

Chan: Right.

Chiang: So, this is to avoid sickness and problems because next year, because of the fire, there is a lot … there's a great chance of a small epidemic.

Chan: I see.

Chiang: Not too great, but there's still one coming.

Chan: Right.

Chiang: And then for the good ones, the best one is the southeast corner. So, you put red flowers and also you put moving water there. Okay?

Chan: Right.

Chiang: And then the next one is the east, also flowers. Okay? You can put, if you want happiness in the family and things like that …

Chan: I’m sure.

Chiang: … you can put nine flowers.

Chan: Nine flowers.

Chiang: Okay. Nine. The best is the purple-colored pot flower. Otherwise, crimson or red color is okay.

Chan: Right. Okay.

Chiang: And then the northeast, you put a carpet and also one bamboo there. Now, if you have children going to take major exams next year, you can put them in this corner or he's studying desk facing this corner. Okay. And then the fair one is the north. North is, you put three plants and then a moving water.

Chan: Okay.

Chiang: And then the west is one plant and the red carpet. And then last but not least is the yellow carpet in the southwest, together with two gourds.

Chan: Okay. Thank you.

Chiang: And the middle is just one bamboo or water.

Chan: All right. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, feng shui master Michael, for sharing your expertise with our viewers. As the Horse symbolizes strength and forward motion, may the Year of the Fire Horse inspire Hong Kong to move forward with confidence, resilience, and prosperity. Kung Hei Fat Choy and see you next week.

Chiang: Kung Hei Fat Choy!