Forget exercise, meditation or alcohol; people in Hong Kong let off steam by "beating the devil" usually with a shoe.

An age-old tradition that seems to have lost its mystique but still allows for a good thwacking, it sees practitioners hang an image of someone and beat it mercilessly while hurling abuse and insults.

On the downside, customers don't get to do the hitting. It's a vicarious pleasure.

On the up side, it's cheaper than an anger management course, and it won't land you in prison.

Known as "beating the devil," the practice tends to victimize politicians or mistresses depending on the state of the economy.

In Hong Kong, it's a big money-spinner.

Leung, who has been in the profession for 10 years, said she is asked to beat the image representing a mistress three to four times a day.

(Ta Kung Pao)