Villain hitting, da siu yan (Chinese: 打小人), demon exorcising,[1] or petty person beating,[2][3] is a folk sorcery popular in the Guangdong area of China and Hong Kong—primarily associated with Cantonese.

Villain hitting has been preliminarily included in the list of "intangible cultural heritage" by the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau, and was selected as "Best Way to Get It Off Your Chest" in TIME magazine's 2009 "Best of Asia" feature.

The concept of Villain (小人) and Gui Ren (貴人, people who will do something good to the clients) comes as a result of this yin and yang world view.

[citation needed] According to the Chinese calendar, the year can be divided into twenty-four solar terms and spring is known as the "Awakening of Insects"—when hibernating animals awake from their slumber to forage and feed.

[citation needed] As time passed, "villains" gradually morphed into the role of the notorious white tiger and becomes the object of exorcisms and banishment.