A nuisance called superstition

One of the salient principles of the Communist Party of China is that members should not have religious faith. By extension, it means Party and government officials, who are political elites and have been selected through a rigorous process, should not be superstitious.

Of course, a majority of Party officials are hard working and free of superstitious beliefs. But some of them have fallen prey to superstition and mysticism. Many media outlets have reported that quite a few officials believe in divine intervention, for which they seek the help from fortunetellers and "qigong masters", and in some cases appoint them as their advisors.

In some extreme cases, officials have even changed highway building or urban development plans on the advice of fortunetellers to invite good luck to further their careers. Such officials should know that it is unscientific, rather ludicrous, to ignore experts and seek the advice of clairvoyants and fortunetellers in such matters, let alone allow them to influence their decisions.