Seeing the wisdom of Chinese Feng Shui

By Jianyu Hou Freelancer based in New York City. USA

The study of Feng Shui, also called Kan Yu (堪舆), has developed since the Warring States Period（475 BC, or 403 BC—221 BC）in ancient China. It's about harmonious interactions between human beings and nature.

On a macro-level, Feng Shui studies geography and how it affects humans. On a micro-level, it researches how the layout of furniture and decorations can influence humans' energy and emotions.

Feng Shui is about Qi, flow of energy. A similar concept can be found in many other cultures, even American pop culture. You can consider Qi as "the Force" in Star Wars films—"The Force is what gives a Jedi his powers. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

(Star Wars, 1977) Qi is everywhere. If we put an apple in a pyramid-shaped container, it's hard to go bad. Mummies in the pyramids could be preserved for thousands of years. The pyramids keep a good flow of Qi.

In China, Feng Shui for the dead was developed based on the one for the living. Good Feng Shui graves (Yin Zhai, 阴宅, for the dead）could bring good luck to living family members, such as good fortune and high social status.

The best choice for Yang Zhai (阳宅, for the living) and Yin Zhai is Xue (穴). Xue refers to a place located in the south of a huge mountain and north of a big river. Capital cities in Chinese history were almost all Xues.

The cities with Yang in their names are probably Xues, such as Xianyang (Qin Dynasty), Luoyang (thirteen dynasties' capital city), Anyang (Shang Dynasty). Mountains protect cities from cold winds, but also from invasions by northern nomadic ethnic groups.

Using a modern scientific explanation, most of China stands north of the Tropic of Cancer, which means sunshine can only come from the south. The southern side of a mountain can get more sunshine to grow plants. For a building, it saves electricity to light up and keep warm.

As the seasons change, with the wind belts moving southward or northward, the wind blowing from the north during the winter and south during the summer. Mountains block the cold winds in winter, while in summer, they hold the moisture that gets blown from the southern river, helping to form a nice climate.

Feng Shui also applies the "Five Elements" (wu xing 五行) to its theory. The Element of Wood, usually refers to plants as an important indicator. A land with thriving plants is considered a good Feng Shui place. It's easy to cultivate for people to get enough food and they don't have to fight over insufficient natural resources.

The Element of Water represents money. Running water means cash flow. Water can irrigate Wood to produce value, and carry Wood to somewhere else to get profit. In China, it's common to see some office buildings and hotels decorated with running water on their porches, such as fountains or fish bowls, wishing to attract money from outside.

People in the real estate sector love Feng Shui. They build in good Feng Shui areas and charge higher fees.

Many Chinese are willing to pay more for good Feng Shui places. The Chinese care about their children's education, so they prefer apartments near schools, especially close to famous universities, and hence property prices are very high there.,

They believe the Wenchang Qi (文昌气, Qi for academic success and clear mind) is strong in those locations. Wudaokou（五道口) in Beijing, located between China's top 2 universities, Peking University and Tsinghua University, is called "the Center of the Universe," and the apartments are charging 100,000 Yuan/m^2 (approximately 15,528 US Dollars per square meters).

The campuses were originally parts of the garden of the royal family of the Qing Dynasty, which indicates that Feng Shui was guaranteed by high level masters.

Nowadays, more Americans have adopted Feng Shui concepts. Real Estate mogul Donald Trump took a Chinese Feng Shui master's advice for his property development. Feng Shui is adaptable to America, since both nations are located in the same latitude and have similar climates.

Many Chinese cities have remained prosperous for thousands of years, while in recent decades, some American cities have declined after less than one hundred years in existence. Can we get some inspiration from Feng Shui and prevent cities from decay?

(This article was first published on Panview Channel, CCTV.com)

( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )