While some people are getting rich, they seem to be more superstitious, a phenomenon which deserves attention from the governments, according to a Chinese lawmaker and a political advisor.

"Fortune-telling, Chinese horoscope and Fengshui have become popular in some areas, casting a shadow on building a harmonious society," said Peng Fuchun, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature.

Peng is also a professor of philosophy with the Wuhan University in central China's Hubei Province. The example Peng gave was a businessman in southwest China's Yunnan Province, who painted the hill rocks opposite to his gate red following the advice of a Fengshui master.

In 2000, the Year of Dragon, more than 36 million babies were born in China, and the figure was much higher than that in 1999 and 2001. This year is recognized as a year of Golden Pig and will also witness a baby boom.

Animal signs of dragon and pig are deemed lucky and fortunate rather than others like goat and snake. In China, 12 kinds of animals are used to mark the years in turn.

"Superstition is not just a matter of personal preference. If not curbed, it would hamper social harmony and stability," said Huang Wei, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's political advisory body.

Painting the rocks in Yunnan can damage local environment, and the birth rush will cause the shortage of social facilities when the babies grow up, go to school and look for jobs.

The gruesome Taoist temple murders by a Chinese farmer named Qiu Xinghua, who was executed last year, stemmed from fortune-telling, Huang said.

"Our government should not only pay attention to people's physical health, but help them live a beneficial, healthy and meaningful life," said Peng.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9,2007)