University course signals rehabilitation of China´s fengshui

University course signals rehabilitation of China´s fengshui
Source: Xinhua | 10-13-2008 10:17

WUHAN, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- A course in fengshui, the traditional Chinese study of geomantic omens usually for buildings or cemeteries, in a central China university, became popular despite a long debate whether it is a science or simply superstition.

On Saturday, 130 students attended the first "Buildings and Fengshui" lecture given by Ma Wei, a teacher in School of Urban Construction, Wuhan University of Science and Technology Zhongnan Branch.

Ma had not expected so many students would choose the selective course as such courses in the university were normally restricted to 50 to 60. Thirty of the students were architecture majors.

"The course will comprise nine lectures, focusing on how to make residential buildings and their interior decor co-exist with their surrounding environments more harmoniously," said Ma.

Fengshui, literally translated as "wind and water", has been widely practiced in China for thousands of years, but in modern times it has been denigrated as a superstition rather than recognized as a cultural phenomenon, although it has seen a revival in recent years.

Traditionally, fengshui practitioners were usually consulted before the construction or renovation of a building.

Ma said a person's physical environment affected their psychological state, possibly altering their character and thereby their fortunes.

"College students born after 1980 show a strong interest in traditional Chinese culture," he said. "But they lack instruction. The fengshui course is intended to help students learn about traditional culture in a scientific way."

"When I first heard there would be such a class, I had some doubts and considered whether it was spreading superstition," said a senior 1architecture student surnamed Gao.

"But after the lecture, I find some logic in it," he said. "For example, the side of a building exposed to the sun should be considered when a house is built. This is actually a matter of harmony between homes and environment. This should not be regarded as superstition."

Ma's fengshui class is not the first in a Chinese university. In 2005, the China Architectural Culture Center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the elite Nanjing University based in eastern Jiangsu Province, launched a training program aimed at teaching the basics of traditional Chinese architecture and the ancient practice of fengshui.

Though the government has never banned the practice officially, fengshui is defined in Chinese dictionaries as "superstitious beliefs in ancient China".

The debate over fengshui has never stopped.

In early 2007, an organization in Shanghai had to postpone its plan to apply to make fengshui a "municipal intangible cultural heritage" after the plan was reported by media and sparked controversy.

"The main reason why fengshui faces opposition is because many people and government officials think it is superstitious," said Zhang Liangren, vice chairman of the Shanghai Life Esthetics Association.

"Fengshui is no science. It only swells the wallets of swindlers and raises unnecessary costs in building construction," said Tao Shilong, a noted science fiction writer. He warned that fengshui was making a comeback in China "in the name of science".

His view was echoed by historian Gu Xiaoming, from Shanghai's Fudan University. "Fengshui contains too many mysterious elements which separate it from science."

Ma Wei said fengshui was not superstition. Rather, it is a natural combination of scientific knowledge with living habits, with the aim of maintaining harmony between man and nature.

"Although many think fengshui unscientific, yet many others will more or less take it into consideration when building a house or decorate it," said Ma.



Editor:Zhang Ning