Learn about feng shui, plus find tips for making every room in your house feel calm and happy.
Feng shui
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Feng shui (
pinyin:
fēng shuǐ,
pronounced [fɤ́ŋ ʂwèi] (
listen)) is a
Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment. The term
feng shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English. This is a cultural shorthand taken from the passage of the now-lost
Classic of Burial recorded in
Guo Pu's
commentary:
[1] Feng shui is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as
physiognomy
(observation of appearances through formulas and calculations). The
feng shui practice discusses architecture in metaphoric terms of
"invisible forces" that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together,
known as
qi.
Historically, feng shui was widely used to orient buildings—often
spiritually significant structures such as tombs, but also dwellings and
other structures—in an auspicious manner. Depending on the particular
style of feng shui being used, an auspicious site could be determined by
reference to local features such as bodies of water, stars, or a
compass.
Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water.[1]
Feng shui was suppressed in
mainland China during the
cultural revolution in the 1960s, but since then has increased in popularity.
Modern reactions to feng shui are mixed.
The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience
states that some principles of feng shui are "quite rational", while
noting that "folk remedies and superstitions... [have been] incorporated
into feng shui's eclectic mix".
[2]
History
Origins
As of 2013 the
Yangshao and
Hongshan cultures provide the earliest known evidence for the use of feng shui. Until the invention of the
magnetic compass, feng shui apparently relied on
astronomy to find correlations between humans and the universe.
[3] In 4000 BC, the doors of
Banpo dwellings aligned with the
asterism Yingshi just after the
winter solstice—this sited the homes for
solar gain.
[4] During the
Zhou era,
Yingshi was known as
Ding and used to indicate the appropriate time to build a capital city, according to the
Shijing. The late Yangshao site at
Dadiwan
(c. 3500-3000 BC) includes a palace-like building (F901) at the center.
The building faces south and borders a large plaza. It stands on a
north-south axis with another building that apparently housed communal
activities. Regional communities may have used the complex.
[5]
A grave at
Puyang (around 4000 BC) that contains mosaics— actually a
Chinese star map of the Dragon and Tiger asterisms and
Beidou (
the Big Dipper, Ladle or Bushel)— is oriented along a north-south axis.
[6]
The presence of both round and square shapes in the Puyang tomb, at
Hongshan ceremonial centers and at the late Longshan settlement at
Lutaigang,
[7] suggests that
gaitian cosmography (heaven-round, earth-square) existed in Chinese society long before it appeared in the
Zhou Bi Suan Jing.
[8]
Cosmography
that bears a striking resemblance to modern feng shui devices and
formulas appears on a piece of jade unearthed at Hanshan and dated
around 3000 BC. Archaeologist
Li Xueqin links the design to the
liuren astrolabe,
zhinan zhen, and
luopan.
[9]
Beginning with palatial structures at
Erlitou,
[10] all capital cities of China followed rules of feng shui for their design and layout. During the Zhou era, the
Kaogong ji (
simplified Chinese:
考工记;
traditional Chinese:
考工記; "Manual of Crafts") codified these rules. The carpenter's manual
Lu ban jing (
simplified Chinese:
鲁班经;
traditional Chinese:
魯班經; "Lu ban's manuscript") codified rules for builders. Graves and tombs also followed rules of feng shui, from
Puyang to
Mawangdui and beyond. From the earliest records, the structures of the graves and dwellings seem to have followed the same rules.
Early instruments and techniques
The history of feng shui covers 3,500+ years
[11] before the invention of the magnetic compass. It originated in
Chinese astronomy.
[12] Some current techniques can be traced to
Neolithic China,
[13] while others were added later (most notably the
Han dynasty, the
Tang, the
Song, and the
Ming).
[14]
The astronomical history of feng shui is evident in the development of instruments and techniques. According to the
Zhouli, the original feng shui instrument may have been a
gnomon. Chinese used circumpolar stars to determine the north-south axis of settlements. This technique explains why Shang palaces at
Xiaotun lie 10° east of due north. In some cases, as
Paul Wheatley observed,
[15]
they bisected the angle between the directions of the rising and
setting sun to find north. This technique provided the more precise
alignments of the Shang walls at
Yanshi and
Zhengzhou.
Rituals for using a feng shui instrument required a diviner to examine
current sky phenomena to set the device and adjust their position in
relation to the device.
[16]
The oldest examples of instruments used for feng shui are
liuren astrolabes, also known as
shi. These consist of a
lacquered,
two-sided board with astronomical sightlines. The earliest examples of
liuren astrolabes have been unearthed from tombs that date between 278
BC and 209 BC. Along with divination for
Da Liu Ren[17] the boards were commonly used to chart the motion of
Taiyi through the nine palaces.
[18] The markings on a
liuren/shi and the first magnetic compasses are virtually identical.
[19]
The
magnetic compass was invented for feng shui
[20] and has been in use since its invention. Traditional feng shui instrumentation consists of the
Luopan or the earlier south-pointing spoon (指南針
zhinan zhen)—though
a conventional compass could suffice if one understood the differences.
A feng shui ruler (a later invention) may also be employed.
Foundation theories
The goal of feng shui as practiced today is to situate the human-built environment on spots with good
qi. The "perfect spot" is a location and an axis in time.
[21][22]
Qi (ch'i)
Qi（氣）(pronounced "chee" in English) is a movable positive or negative life force which plays an essential role in feng shui.
[24] In feng shui as in
Chinese martial arts, it refers to 'energy', in the sense of 'life force' or
élan vital. A traditional explanation of
qi
as it relates to feng shui would include the orientation of a
structure, its age, and its interaction with the surrounding
environment, including the local
microclimates, the slope of the land, vegetation, and soil quality.
[citation needed]
The
Book of Burial says that burial takes advantage of "vital
qi". Wu Yuanyin
[25] (Qing dynasty) said that vital
qi was "congealed
qi", which is the state of
qi that engenders life. The goal of feng shui is to take advantage of vital
qi by appropriate siting of graves and structures.
[22] Some people destroyed graveyards of their enemies to weaken their qi.
[26][27][28][29][30]
One use for a
loupan is to detect the flow of
qi.
[31][citation needed] Magnetic compasses reflect local
geomagnetism which includes
geomagnetically induced currents caused by
space weather.
[32] Professor
Max Knoll suggested in a 1951 lecture that
qi is a form of
solar radiation.
[33] As space weather changes over time,
[34] and the quality of
qi rises and falls over time,
[22] feng shui with a compass might be considered a form of
divination
that assesses the quality of the local environment—including the
effects of space weather. Often people with good karma live in land with
good qi.
[35][36][37][38]
Polarity
Polarity is expressed in feng shui as
yin and yang theory. Polarity expressed through
yin and
yang is similar to a
magnetic dipole. That is, it is of two parts: one creating an exertion and one receiving the exertion.
Yang acting and
yin receiving could be considered an early understanding of
chirality.
[clarification needed] The development of this theory and its corollary,
five phase theory (five element theory), have also been linked with astronomical observations of
sunspots.
[39]
The Five Elements or Forces (
wu xing) – which, according to
the Chinese, are metal, earth, fire, water, and wood – are first
mentioned in Chinese literature in a chapter of the classic
Book of History.
They play a very important part in Chinese thought: ‘elements’ meaning
generally not so much the actual substances as the forces essential to
human life.
[40] Earth is a buffer, or an equilibrium achieved when the polarities cancel each other.
[citation needed]
While the goal of Chinese medicine is to balance yin and yang in the
body, the goal of feng shui has been described as aligning a city, site,
building, or object with yin-yang force fields.
[41]
Bagua (eight trigrams)
Two diagrams known as
bagua (or
pa kua) loom large in feng shui, and both predate their mentions in the
Yijing (or
I Ching).
[citation needed] The
Lo (River) Chart (
Luoshu) was developed first,
[42] and is sometimes associated with
Later Heaven arrangement of the bagua. This and the
Yellow River Chart (
Hetu, sometimes associated with the
Earlier Heaven bagua) are linked to astronomical events of the sixth millennium BC, and with the Turtle Calendar from the time of Yao.
[43] The Turtle Calendar of Yao (found in the
Yaodian section of the
Shangshu or
Book of Documents) dates to 2300 BC, plus or minus 250 years.
[44]
In
Yaodian, the cardinal directions are determined by the marker-stars of the mega-constellations known as the Four Celestial Animals:
[44]
- East
- The Azure Dragon (Spring equinox)—Niao (Bird 鳥), α Scorpionis
- South
- The Vermilion Bird (Summer solstice)—Huo (Fire 火), α Hydrae
- West
- The White Tiger (Autumn equinox)—Mǎo (Hair 毛), η Tauri (the Pleiades)
- North
- The Black Tortoise (Winter solstice)—Xū (Emptiness, Void 虛), α Aquarii, β Aquarii
The diagrams are also linked with the
sifang (four directions) method of divination used during the Shang dynasty.
[45] The
sifang is much older, however. It was used at Niuheliang, and figured large in
Hongshan culture's astronomy. And it is this area of China that is linked to
Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, who allegedly invented the south-pointing spoon (see
compass).
[46]
A building in
Hong Kong with a hollow middle hole, utilizing feng shui benefits
Traditional feng shui
Traditional feng shui is an ancient system based upon the observation
of heavenly time and earthly space. The literature of ancient China, as
well as archaeological evidence, provide some idea of the origins and
nature of the original feng shui techniques.
Form School
The Form School is the oldest school of feng shui.
Qing Wuzi in the
Han dynasty describes it in the "Book of the Tomb"
[1] and
Guo Pu of the
Jin dynasty follows up with a more complete description in
The Book of Burial
The Form School was originally concerned with the location and orientation of tombs (
Yin House feng shui), which was of great importance.
[21] The school then progressed to the consideration of homes and other buildings (
Yang House feng shui).
The "form" in Form School refers to the shape of the environment,
such as mountains, rivers, plateaus, buildings, and general
surroundings. It considers the five celestial animals (phoenix, green
dragon, white tiger, black turtle, and the yellow snake), the
yin-yang concept and the traditional five elements (
Wu Xing: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water).
The Form School analyses the shape of the land and flow of the wind and water to find a place with ideal
qi.
[47] It also considers the time of important events such as the birth of the resident and the building of the structure.
Compass School
The Compass School is a collection of more recent feng shui techniques based on the eight
cardinal directions, each of which is said to have unique qi. It uses the
Luopan, a disc marked with formulas in concentric rings around a magnetic compass.
[48][49][50]
The Compass School includes techniques such as
Flying Star and
Eight Mansions.
Transmission of traditional feng shui techniques
Aside from the books written throughout history by feng shui masters
and students, there is also a strong oral history. In many cases,
masters have passed on their techniques only to selected students or
relatives.
[51]
Current usage of traditional schools
There is no contemporary agreement that one of the traditional
schools is most correct. Therefore, modern practitioners of feng shui
generally draw from multiple schools in their own practices.
[52]
Modern/Western forms of feng shui
More recent forms of feng shui simplify principles that come from the traditional schools, and focus mainly on the use of the
bagua.
Aspirations Method
The
Eight Life Aspirations
style of feng shui is a simple system which coordinates each of the
eight cardinal directions with a specific life aspiration or station
such as family, wealth, fame, etc., which come from the
Bagua government of the eight aspirations. Life Aspirations is not otherwise a geomantic system.
Black Sect
Thomas Lin Yun introduced
Black Sect Tantric Buddhism Feng Shui to America in the 1970s
[2]. Black Sect is a religion that goes beyond feng shui to include elements of
transcendentalism,
Taoism and
Tibetan Buddhism[3].
Black Sect is concerned mainly with the interior of a building. Instead
of orienting the bagua to the compass, it is oriented to the entryway.
Each of the eight sectors represent a particular area of one's life.
List of specific feng shui schools
Ti Li (Form School)
Popular Xingshi Pai (形势派) "forms" methods
- Luan Tou Pai, 巒頭派, Pinyin: luán tóu pài, (environmental analysis without using a compass)
- Xing Xiang Pai, 形象派 or 形像派, Pinyin: xíng xiàng pài, (Imaging forms)
- Xingfa Pai, 形法派, Pinyin: xíng fǎ pài
Liiqi Pai (Compass School)
Popular Liiqi Pai (理气派) "Compass" methods
San Yuan Method, 三元派 (Pinyin: sān yuán pài)
San He Method, 三合派 (environmental analysis using a compass)
Others
- Yin House Feng Shui, 阴宅风水 (Feng Shui for the deceased)
- Four Pillars of Destiny, 四柱命理 (a form of hemerology)
- Zi Wei Dou Shu, 紫微斗数 (Purple Star Astrology)
- I-Ching, 易经 (Book of Changes)
- Qi Men Dun Jia, 奇门遁甲 (Mysterious Door Escaping Techniques)
- Da Liu Ren, 大六壬 (Divination: Big Six Heavenly Yang Water Qi)
- Tai Yi Shen Shu, 太乙神数 (Divination: Tai Yi Magical Calculation Method)
- Date Selection, 择日 (Selection of auspicious dates and times for important events)
- Chinese Palmistry, 掌相学 (Destiny reading by palm reading)
- Chinese Face Reading, 面相学 (Destiny reading by face reading)
- Major & Minor Wandering Stars (Constellations)
- Five phases, 五行 (relationship of the five phases or wuxing)
- BTB Black (Hat) Tantric Buddhist Sect (Westernised or Modern methods not based on Classical teachings)
- Symbolic Feng Shui,
(new-age Feng Shui methods that advocate substitution with symbolic
(spiritual, appropriate representation of five elements) objects if
natural environment or object/s is/are not available or viable)
Contemporary uses of traditional feng shui
- Landscape ecologists often find traditional feng shui an interesting study.[53] In many cases, the only remaining patches of old forest in Asia are "feng shui woods",[54] associated with cultural heritage, historical continuity, and the preservation of various flora and fauna species.[55] Some researchers interpret the presence of these woods as indicators that the "healthy homes",[56] sustainability[57] and environmental components of ancient feng shui should not be easily dismissed.[58][59]
- Environmental scientists and landscape architects have researched traditional feng shui and its methodologies.[60][61][62]
- Architects study feng shui as an ancient and uniquely Asian architectural tradition.[63][64][65][66]
- Geographers have analyzed the techniques and methods to help locate historical sites in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada,[67] and archaeological sites in the American Southwest, concluding that ancient Native Americans also considered astronomy and landscape features.[68]
Criticisms
Traditional feng shui
Traditional feng shui relies upon the compass to give accurate
readings. However, critics point out that the compass degrees are often
inaccurate as fluctuations caused by solar winds have the ability to
greatly disturb the electromagnetic field of the earth.
[69]
Determining a property or site location based upon Magnetic North will
result in inaccuracies because true magnetic north fluctuates.
[70]
Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), one of the founding fathers of
Jesuit China missions, may have been the first European to write about feng shui practices. His account in
De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas... tells about feng shui masters (
geologi,
in Latin) studying prospective construction sites or grave sites "with
reference to the head and the tail and the feet of the particular
dragons which are supposed to dwell beneath that spot". As a Catholic
missionary, Ricci strongly criticized the "recondite science" of
geomancy along with
astrology as yet another
superstitio absurdissima
of the heathens: "What could be more absurd than their imagining that
the safety of a family, honors, and their entire existence must depend
upon such trifles as a door being opened from one side or another, as
rain falling into a courtyard from the right or from the left, a window
opened here or there, or one roof being higher than another?".
[71]
Victorian-era commentators on feng shui were generally ethnocentric,
and as such skeptical and derogatory of what they knew of feng shui.
[72]
In 1896, at a meeting of the Educational Association of China, Rev.
P.W. Pitcher railed at the "rottenness of the whole scheme of Chinese
architecture," and urged fellow missionaries "to erect unabashedly
Western edifices of several stories and with towering spires in order to
destroy nonsense about
fung-shuy".
[73]
After the founding of the
People's Republic of China
in 1949, feng shui was officially considered a "feudalistic
superstitious practice" and a "social evil" according to the state's
ideology and was discouraged and even banned outright at times.
[74][75] Feng shui remained popular in Hong Kong, and also in the
Republic of China (Taiwan), where traditional culture was not suppressed.
[76]
Persecution was the most severe during the
Cultural Revolution, when feng shui was classified as a custom under the so-called
Four Olds to be wiped out. Feng shui practitioners were beaten and abused by
Red Guards and their works burned. After the death of
Mao Zedong and the end of the
Cultural Revolution, the official attitude became more tolerant but restrictions on feng shui practice are still in place in today's
China.
It is illegal in the PRC today to register feng shui consultation as a
business and similarly advertising feng shui practice is banned. There
have been frequent crackdowns on feng shui practitioners on the grounds
of "promoting feudalistic superstitions" such as one in Qingdao in early
2006 when the city's business and industrial administration office shut
down an art gallery converted into a feng shui practice.
[77] Some communist officials who had previously consulted feng shui were terminated and expelled from the Communist Party.
[78]
Partly because of the
Cultural Revolution,
in today's mainland China less than one-third of the population believe
in feng shui, and the proportion of believers among young urban Chinese
is said to be much lower
[79] Learning feng shui is still somewhat considered taboo in today's China.
[80][81][82]
Nevertheless, it is reported that feng shui has gained adherents among
Communist Party officials according to a BBC Chinese news commentary in
2006,
[83]
and since the beginning of Chinese economic reforms the number of feng
shui practitioners is increasing. A number of Chinese academics
permitted to research on the subject of feng shui are anthropologists or
architects by profession, studying the history of feng shui or
historical feng shui theories behind the design of heritage buildings,
such as Cao Dafeng, the Vice-President of
Fudan University,
[84] and Liu Shenghuan of
Tongji University.
Contemporary feng shui
Westerners were criticized at the start of the anti-Western
Boxer Rebellion
for violating the basic principles of feng shui in the construction of
railroads and other conspicuous public structures throughout China.
However, today, feng shui is practiced not only by the Chinese, but also
by Westerners and still criticized by Christians around the world. Many
modern Christians have an opinion of feng shui similar to that of their
predecessors:
[85]
It is entirely inconsistent with Christianity to believe that harmony
and balance result from the manipulation and channeling of nonphysical
forces or energies, or that such can be done by means of the proper
placement of physical objects. Such techniques, in fact, belong to the
world of sorcery.[86]
Still others are simply skeptical of feng shui. Evidence for its
effectiveness is based primarily upon anecdote and users are often
offered conflicting advice from different practitioners. Feng shui
practitioners use these differences as evidence of variations in
practice or different schools of thought. Critical analysts have
described it thus: "Feng shui has always been based upon mere
guesswork".
[87][88] Some are skeptical of feng shui's lasting impact
[89] Mark Johnson:
[90]
This present state of affairs is ludicrous and confusing. Do we
really believe that mirrors and flutes are going to change people's
tendencies in any lasting and meaningful way? ... There is a lot of
investigation that needs to be done or we will all go down the tubes
because of our inability to match our exaggerated claims with lasting
changes.
Nonetheless, after
Richard Nixon journeyed to the
People's Republic of China in 1972, feng shui became marketable in the
United States and has since been reinvented by New Age
entrepreneurs
for Western consumption. Critics of Contemporary Feng Shui are
concerned that with the passage of time much of the theory behind it has
been lost in translation, not paid proper consideration, frowned upon,
or even scorned. Robert T. Carroll sums up what feng shui has become in
some instances:
...feng shui has become an aspect of interior decorating in the
Western world and alleged masters of feng shui now hire themselves out
for hefty sums to tell people such as Donald Trump which way his doors
and other things should hang. Feng shui has also become another New Age
"energy" scam with arrays of metaphysical products...offered for sale to
help you improve your health, maximize your potential, and guarantee
fulfillment of some fortune cookie philosophy.[91]
Others have noted how, when feng shui is not applied properly, it can
even harm the environment, such as was the case of people planting
"lucky bamboo" in ecosystems that could not handle them.
[92]
Feng shui practitioners in China find superstitious and corrupt
officials easy prey, despite official disapproval. In one instance, in
2009, feng shui practitioners gulled county officials in
Gansu into hauling a 369-ton "spirit rock" to the county seat to ward off "bad luck."
[93]
The stage magician duo
Penn and Teller dedicated an episode of their
Bullshit! television show to criticise the construal of contemporary practice of Feng Shui in the Western World as
science.
In this episode, they devised a test in which the same dwelling was
visited by five different Feng Shui consultants, all five producing
different opinions about said dwelling, by which means it was attempted
to show there is no consistency in the professional practice of Feng
Shui.
Feng shui practice today
Apart from any mystical implications, Feng Shui may be simply
understood as a traditional test of architectural goodness using a
collection of metaphors. The test may be static or a simulation.
Simulations may involve moving an imaginary person or organic creature,
such as a dragon of a certain size and flexibility, through a floor plan
to uncover awkward turns and cramped spaces before actual construction.
This is entirely analogous to imagining how a wheelchair might pass
through a building, and is a plausible exercise for architects, who are
expected to have exceptional spatial visualization talents. A static
test might try to measure comfort in architecture through a ‘hills and
valleys’ metaphor. The big hill at your back is a metaphor for security,
the open valley and stream represents air and light, and the circle of
low hills in front represents both invitation to visitors and your
control of your immediate environment. The various Feng Shui tenets
represent a set of metaphors that suggest architectural qualities that
the average human finds comfortable.
Many Asians, especially people of
Chinese descent, believe it
[clarification needed] is important to live a prosperous and healthy life as evident by the popularity of
Fu Lu Shou
in the Chinese communities. Many of the higher-level forms of feng shui
are not easily practiced without having connections in the community or
a certain amount of wealth because hiring an expert, altering
architecture or design, and moving from place to place requires a
significant financial output. This leads some people of the lower
classes to lose faith in feng shui, saying that it is only a game for
the wealthy.
[94]
Others, however, practice less expensive forms of feng shui, including
hanging special (but cheap) mirrors, forks, or woks in doorways to
deflect negative energy.
[95]
In recent years,
[when?] a new brand of easier-to-implement
DIY Feng Shui known as
Symbolic Feng Shui, which is popularized by Grandmaster
[96] Lillian Too, is being practised by Feng Shui
enthusiasts. It entails placements of auspicious (and preferably aesthetically pleasing)
Five Element objects, such as
Money God and
tortoise, at various locations of the house so as to achieve a pleasing and substitute-alternative
Productive-Cycle environment if a good natural environment is not already present or is too expensive to build and implement.
Feng shui is so important to some strong believers, that they use it
for healing purposes (although there is no empirical evidence that this
practice is in any way effective) in addition to guide their businesses
and create a peaceful atmosphere in their homes.
[97]
In 2005, even Disney acknowledged feng shui as an important part of
Chinese culture by shifting the main gate to Hong Kong Disneyland by
twelve degrees in their building plans, among many other actions
suggested by the master planner of architecture and design at Walt
Disney Imagineering, Wing Chao, in an effort to incorporate local
culture into the theme park.
[98]
At
Singapore Polytechnic
and other institutions, many working professionals from various
disciplines (including engineers, architects, property agents and
interior designers) take courses on feng shui and divination every year with a number of them becoming part-time or full-time feng shui (or
geomancy) consultants eventually.
[99]
Master Aaron Lee Koch of New York, USA, established the Feng Shui
Excellence Award, the first award for the achievement of outstanding
feng shui. The Feng Shui Excellence Award is awarded to home and
business owners that have achieved a high level of feng shui excellence
and have experienced the results of the changes they have made.
[100]
See also
References
A Luopan, Feng shui compass.
The history of feng shui covers 3,500+ years[11] before the invention of the magnetic compass. It originated in Chinese astronomy.[12] Some current techniques can be traced to Neolithic China,[13] while others were added later (most notably the Han dynasty, the Tang, the Song, and the Ming).[14]
Qi（氣）(pronounced "chee" in English) is a movable positive or negative life force which plays an essential role in feng shui.[24] In feng shui as in Chinese martial arts, it refers to 'energy', in the sense of 'life force' or élan vital. A traditional explanation of qi as it relates to feng shui would include the orientation of a structure, its age, and its interaction with the surrounding environment, including the local microclimates, the slope of the land, vegetation, and soil quality.[citation needed]A traditional turtle-back tomb of southern Fujian, surrounded by an omega-shaped ridge protecting it from the "noxious winds" from the three sides[23]
A building in Hong Kong with a hollow middle hole, utilizing feng shui benefits
A modern "feng shui fountain" at Taipei 101, Taiwan
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