A self-proclaimed charity association announced on Sunday that a total of HKD10,000 in cash is hidden inside “mermaid eggs” around Repulse Bay.
People are encouraged to embark on their own treasure hunts to search for the hundred or so eggs, with over half of them containing bank notes in denominations ranging from HKD10 to HKD500.
Time to skip work and head to the beach?
The organisation, which is called “Xi Shi Mermaid” (Xi Shi was a legendary beauty in Ancient China who was so stunning that fish forgot to swim when they saw her face), said that they have read bad news about Hong Kong’s tourism industry and are frustrated over the lack of action from the government.
So naturally they decided to plant fake mermaid eggs full of cash on a public beach.
Xi Shi Mermaid told Oriental Daily that they had been in contact with the anonymous Bauhinia Woman, who became an instant celebrity in 2011 when she handed out HKD6,000 in cash to random people on the street while wearing a tight, black, Catwoman-like costume.
Inspired by the Bauhinia Woman’s charitable acts, they continued in her spirit and decided to give out free money as a Mid-Autumn Festival gift, hoping that it becomes a local tradition.
On the eggs it is printed: “The mermaid of Hong Kong makes the world more wonderful. There may be money inside. It is not an offence to pick it up.”
As Oriental Daily points out, Hong Kong citizens have been wary of picking up cash on the street ever since the Great Christmas Eve Mad Dash for Cash of 2014, in which an armored truck spilled millons of dollars onto a Wan Chai road.
The police subsequently launched a manhunt to recover the money from opportunistic thieves who got away with armfuls of cash.
Though Xi Shi Mermaid emphasised that the treasure hunt is not a commercial activity, the event is still shrouded in mystery, but whatever – hello, free money and beach day!
Header photo: Yuichi via Flickr
Body photos: hk.on.cc
