Fortune-telling is forbidden _ Is it illegal or not?

Is it illegal to open a geomantic divination company?

State Administration for Industry and Commerce

It is forbidden to use legal licenses to engage in feudalism.

Notice of superstitious activities

(Ministry of Industry and Commerce [1995] No.225)

Administration for Industry and Commerce of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities under separate state planning:

Recently, in some places, it was found that under the guise of "researching and applying the Book of Changes" and "exploring life sciences", in the name of "consulting services", people defrauded business licenses, publicized pseudoscience, and engaged in feudal superstitious activities such as fortune telling and geomantic omen. These people are deceptive and have a bad influence on society under the guise of "scientific research" and have legal licenses at the same time. In order to crack down on such feudal superstitious activities and promote the healthy development of the consulting service industry, we are hereby notified as follows:

First, the administrative departments for industry and commerce at all levels should strictly control the examination, approval and registration of consulting services, and should not issue business licenses to individuals or economic organizations engaged in feudal superstitious activities under the banner of "Yijing research" and "applied research of life sciences".

Two, for individuals or economic organizations to apply for consulting services, it is necessary to strictly examine the business qualifications and business scope of their main employees, and strictly examine and approve industries that are easily used to engage in feudal superstitious activities. For industries with unclear policy boundaries, it is necessary to ask the administrative department for industry and commerce at the next higher level in time. For individual industrial and commercial households and various economic organizations that have been approved for registration, their business scope should be verified in strict accordance with the terms of business scope, so as to prevent vague and ambiguous expressions in business licenses from being used by criminals.

Third, pure academic research institutions such as Yijing Institute and Life Science Research Association are not allowed to conduct business activities for profit, otherwise it will be regarded as illegal business. The administrative department for industry and commerce should cooperate with relevant departments to clean up and investigate those who publicize feudal superstition and pseudoscience in the name of "lectures" and "running classes".

Fourth, actively cooperate with relevant departments, ban illegal stalls of "fortune telling" and "feng shui", and resolutely crack down on feudal superstitious activities.

August 28th, 1995

You can't even get a legal license, let alone set up such a company directly.