I am glad Howard has answered your question pertaining to the building of your new house in the beautiful island.
Normally when you are facing SE1, your door will be opened in SE1 as well.
According to Liufa feng shui, it is perfectly alright if you open your door in SE1 during period 9 which will start from 2017.
Feng Shui is about how we align ourselves with the nature, the planets and their magnetic field.
Lao Tze’s Dao De Jing talked about the world from nature, nature from the way(道法自然)， emphasizing the word nature. Nature means it is not your desire but you have to conform with the nature, with the way.
Yin Fu Jing(陰符經) talked about “observe the way of Heaven, and hold to Heaven’s action. That’s all we should do”. Observe the way of Heaven, meaning you have to align with the planets and their magnetic field.
Why cann’t we open SE1 door during period 8 ? It is because you will draw the Qi or your wealth out from the house. But in period 9, you can open the SE1 door because the good Qi will be drawn from outside to inside the house.
Period 9 will start from 2017. Your house will be prosperous for 24 years from 2017.
Maybe it is time to build the house now because by the time you complete the house, it will be 2013 and you wait for another 4 years to 2017, your new wealth will come in.
If your desire is for future wealth, you are in the right track. If you are thinking of present wealth, open SE1 door will not help you because it is not the right time yet.
If it is your desire to build your house facing SE1, it is perfectly OK as what Howard has said it. You will have future wealth, no problem.
Now is 2009 and to reach 2017 will be another 8 years, if you can wait that long for your wealth, it is perfectly OK. It all depends on what you want and desire.
I am only telling you the law of nature and the law of feng shui. If our desire does not conform to the law of nature, then we will suffer. If we want to live harmony with nature, we have to conform to the law of nature, so to speak.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Josie from Panama has got a feng shui question for you.
Hi,
First, please forgive me for my english, is not good because I am french.
My question is : I have a nice land on a island. We want to build a house this year and the best place to built it is front the sea. We have a choice to do it in E3 (110°) or SE1 (117°).
My gua is 6 and my husband gua is 6.
I like the SE1 (117°) because is the best view to the sea, but the chart is string pearls, I don't know if is realy bad and Has the 8 M on the front 8W on back, (reverse chart)
the chart is this one : 765 876 432 ( facing IS 876)
321 987 654
543 198 219
My land has Sea view with some trees on the front and trees on back.
So I don't know if is very bad or if we can work with it.
IF we choose SE1 our bedroom will be in 654. My husband office in 198 and 543.
Somebody can help me please ?
Josie
Josie's new house plan
Josie's new house will be located in this beautiful island.
Reply by KC Goh(吳繼宗) on January 31, 2009 at 5:06pm
should face south(158 to 202) and the door should open on the south. SE and E should plant trees
Reply by josie on January 31, 2009 at 5:50pm
Thank for your answer. It is not possible to choose S (158 to 202) in this case the house will be with the side in front the ocean and the view will be to the trees. Is not logical to have a ocean front and put the house looking at the trees and the land beside us.
My question was which one is the best E3 or SE1.
best regards
Josie
Reply by KC Goh(吳繼宗) on February 1, 2009 at 1:41pm
This is what we call liufa feng shui. you can check the website at http://www.fengshui-liufa.com
There are two schools of thought. Period 8 Di Gua (Earth Gua) started from 1996 to 2016. Period 8 Tian Yun(Heaven luck) started from 2004 to 2023. Period 8 is yin gua when you fly, you should fly reverser.
9 4 2
1 8 6
5 3 7
In period 8, you can open the door at S2, w2, NW1, NE3. Only doors opened at any four of the direction could attract wealth, The other direction should not open door.
Your landscape is not in line with period 8 requirement. As you said it is not logical to have the ocean at the side, but your landscape does not conform with the period 8 requirement. Ask the Liufa master, they will tell you. other master might have different opinion.
Reply by Howard Choy on February 8, 2009 at 9:03pm
Hi Josie,
Seeing you are talking about Flying Stars, I will make my comments accordingly.
By all means, build your dream house facing SE1 because you like it most, human desire is an important factor in Feng Shui..
You can take care of the “ a continuous string of pearls” with an entry at the back to match up with the timely 8W and a low garden wall at the front to match up with the timely 8M without blocking the water view. A reverse house needs physical support for the stars in the microenvironment and that would give you an opportunity to create the right form and configurations from the formless Gua Qi stars.
Your bedroom can be handled with some Water Wuxing Jiehua and your husband’s office is not too bad, he has the timely water star there and also the 3,8 combination (influence of adjacent palace in term of the water stars that influence wealth) makes for Early Heaven Wood, and that is good for business growth.
The concern I have as a Feng Shui architect is the actual planning itself, if you do a qi flow study of the design, there is not enough ju qi (assembled qi) areas in the house to ju qing (assembled feelings and affections) and you are not taking full advantage of a wonderful site, for example, blocking off the corners will miss an opportunity to give you a panoramic view of the water.
Also, if you study the Wuxing of the form of the house, overall it is Wood because it is rectangular in shape, the rounded corners are considered Metal and Metal will chop Wood, so I would seriously think about keeping the shape simple and regular to make it more Yadan (elegantly simple).
Because of the “continuous string of pearls” you will need a more open plan internally and not blocking up the qi flow from one side of the house to another. All the palaces need to be linked up as much as possible because the numbers do that to make the “continuous string”.
Regards,
Howard Choy
Reply by josie 3 hours ago To Howard Choy
first, I am so sorry I did not see your answer before today.
I am very happy for your comments, I feel better and I will less worry about string pearls. My opinion was like yours, if I feel better with a view, wy not to choose it ?
I will take care of yours advises.
Thanks a lot.
Josie
First, please forgive me for my english, is not good because I am french.
My question is : I have a nice land on a island. We want to build a house this year and the best place to built it is front the sea. We have a choice to do it in E3 (110°) or SE1 (117°).
My gua is 6 and my husband gua is 6.
I like the SE1 (117°) because is the best view to the sea, but the chart is string pearls, I don't know if is realy bad and Has the 8 M on the front 8W on back, (reverse chart)
the chart is this one : 765 876 432 ( facing IS 876)
321 987 654
543 198 219
My land has Sea view with some trees on the front and trees on back.
So I don't know if is very bad or if we can work with it.
IF we choose SE1 our bedroom will be in 654. My husband office in 198 and 543.
Somebody can help me please ?
Josie
Josie's new house plan
Josie's new house will be located in this beautiful island.
Reply by KC Goh(吳繼宗) on January 31, 2009 at 5:06pm
should face south(158 to 202) and the door should open on the south. SE and E should plant trees
Reply by josie on January 31, 2009 at 5:50pm
Thank for your answer. It is not possible to choose S (158 to 202) in this case the house will be with the side in front the ocean and the view will be to the trees. Is not logical to have a ocean front and put the house looking at the trees and the land beside us.
My question was which one is the best E3 or SE1.
best regards
Josie
Reply by KC Goh(吳繼宗) on February 1, 2009 at 1:41pm
This is what we call liufa feng shui. you can check the website at http://www.fengshui-liufa.com
There are two schools of thought. Period 8 Di Gua (Earth Gua) started from 1996 to 2016. Period 8 Tian Yun(Heaven luck) started from 2004 to 2023. Period 8 is yin gua when you fly, you should fly reverser.
9 4 2
1 8 6
5 3 7
In period 8, you can open the door at S2, w2, NW1, NE3. Only doors opened at any four of the direction could attract wealth, The other direction should not open door.
Your landscape is not in line with period 8 requirement. As you said it is not logical to have the ocean at the side, but your landscape does not conform with the period 8 requirement. Ask the Liufa master, they will tell you. other master might have different opinion.
Reply by Howard Choy on February 8, 2009 at 9:03pm
Hi Josie,
Seeing you are talking about Flying Stars, I will make my comments accordingly.
By all means, build your dream house facing SE1 because you like it most, human desire is an important factor in Feng Shui..
You can take care of the “ a continuous string of pearls” with an entry at the back to match up with the timely 8W and a low garden wall at the front to match up with the timely 8M without blocking the water view. A reverse house needs physical support for the stars in the microenvironment and that would give you an opportunity to create the right form and configurations from the formless Gua Qi stars.
Your bedroom can be handled with some Water Wuxing Jiehua and your husband’s office is not too bad, he has the timely water star there and also the 3,8 combination (influence of adjacent palace in term of the water stars that influence wealth) makes for Early Heaven Wood, and that is good for business growth.
The concern I have as a Feng Shui architect is the actual planning itself, if you do a qi flow study of the design, there is not enough ju qi (assembled qi) areas in the house to ju qing (assembled feelings and affections) and you are not taking full advantage of a wonderful site, for example, blocking off the corners will miss an opportunity to give you a panoramic view of the water.
Also, if you study the Wuxing of the form of the house, overall it is Wood because it is rectangular in shape, the rounded corners are considered Metal and Metal will chop Wood, so I would seriously think about keeping the shape simple and regular to make it more Yadan (elegantly simple).
Because of the “continuous string of pearls” you will need a more open plan internally and not blocking up the qi flow from one side of the house to another. All the palaces need to be linked up as much as possible because the numbers do that to make the “continuous string”.
Regards,
Howard Choy
Reply by josie 3 hours ago To Howard Choy
first, I am so sorry I did not see your answer before today.
I am very happy for your comments, I feel better and I will less worry about string pearls. My opinion was like yours, if I feel better with a view, wy not to choose it ?
I will take care of yours advises.
Thanks a lot.
Josie
KC posts the same question to Howard as it was not answered or it has not been properly answered or not to the point.
Howard,
My question is not about 3 Eras and 9 Periods 三元九運 and 2 Eras and 8 Periods 二元八運. I am particularly interested in 玄空六法 xuan Kong Liu fa. I think you should have read about Lin Zhi-Rong 林志榮 's book玄空六法秘訣圖解. I am not talking about 紫白元運 nor about 紫白飛星.
As you have an article written about xuan kong liu fa 玄空六法, therefore, I think you should know about xuan kong liu fa 玄空六法. I saw the example you posted in your blog talked about Master Tan Yuan-Wu's 談養吾 ‘s theory and application of Xuan Kong Liu Fa 玄空六法.
I wanted to know your opinion about what Lin Zhi-Rong 林志榮 said in his book玄空六法秘訣圖解. Lin mentioned that YuanYunFaWei元運發微 talked about 挨星山運水運，元運發微 said 水運starts from 2002 and Master Tan Yuan-Wu's 談養吾 Xuan Kong Liu Fa 玄空六法 said水運starts from 1997, in your opinion, which theory is applicable and correct?
Regards，
KC
My question is not about 3 Eras and 9 Periods 三元九運 and 2 Eras and 8 Periods 二元八運. I am particularly interested in 玄空六法 xuan Kong Liu fa. I think you should have read about Lin Zhi-Rong 林志榮 's book玄空六法秘訣圖解. I am not talking about 紫白元運 nor about 紫白飛星.
As you have an article written about xuan kong liu fa 玄空六法, therefore, I think you should know about xuan kong liu fa 玄空六法. I saw the example you posted in your blog talked about Master Tan Yuan-Wu's 談養吾 ‘s theory and application of Xuan Kong Liu Fa 玄空六法.
I wanted to know your opinion about what Lin Zhi-Rong 林志榮 said in his book玄空六法秘訣圖解. Lin mentioned that YuanYunFaWei元運發微 talked about 挨星山運水運，元運發微 said 水運starts from 2002 and Master Tan Yuan-Wu's 談養吾 Xuan Kong Liu Fa 玄空六法 said水運starts from 1997, in your opinion, which theory is applicable and correct?
Regards，
KC
Fengshui Cultural Heritage Bid Fans Science vs Superstition Debate
Fengshui Cultural Heritage Bid Fans Science vs Superstition Debate
Adjust font size: ZoomIn ZoomOut
A Shanghai organization has postponed plans to apply to make fengshui a "municipal intangible cultural heritage" after claiming biased news coverage reignited a controversy over its merits.
"I was pressured to stop the application before I finished it by a leader of Shanghai Social Sciences Association right after the local newspaper, Oriental Morning Post, released the story," said Zhang Liangren, vice chairman of the Shanghai Life Esthetics Association.
Zhang would not reveal the name of the leader, but he said the pressure began after the Oriental Morning Post published an allegedly slanted account of his application, which he planned to submit this month.
"The main reason why fengshui faces opposition is because many people and government officials think it is superstitious," Zhang said.
Widely practised in China for thousands of years, fengshui is commonly denigrated as a superstition rather than recognized as a cultural phenomenon by local government.
Fengshui means "wind and water" if directly translated from Chinese. It was also called Kanyu in ancient Chinese, meaning a geomantic omen applied to a building or a piece of land.
Traditionally, fengshui practitioners were usually consulted before construction or renovation of a building.
"Fengshui is a branch of science, rather than superstition," says the application of the Shanghai Life Esthetics Association, a member organization of Shanghai Social Sciences Association.
"As a building and location evaluation based on geology, landform and physiognomy, it is an important part of traditional Chinese culture," said Zhang.
He said applications in other east Asian countries triggered their action.
Emphasizing the harmonious co-existence of man and environment, fengshui is a discipline of geography, architecture, ethics and prophecy based on the Taoist principle that the earth, sky and man are part of one whole, said Zhang.
Although the Chinese government has never banned the practice officially, fengshui is defined in Chinese contemporary dictionaries as a "superstitious belief from ancient China".
Opponents, ranging from ordinary people to government officials, say recognition of this 'superstition' contradicts China's current concept of scientific development.
But a survey on Sohu.com, one of China's major websites, showed 80 percent of 1,200 people polled supported the application, while only 16 percent thought it was too superstitious and commercialized to be listed.
"I will never stop. We are aiming to restore the good reputation of fengshui," Zhang said.
A seminar on fengshui will be held in the near future, gathering as many scholars as possible to improve the application, Zhang said.
The biggest obstacle to the application lay in the lack of an appropriate representative of fengshui, said Zhang Liming, director of Shanghai Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center.
Although China has seen a revival of fengshui, the authorities could find no representative individuals or institutions, said Zhang Liming. Studies in universities were conducted only by individual professors, while the so-called "fengshui masters" were just out to make money.
"Zhang Liangren has put a lot of effort into the application for years. He discussed with me his application last year, but I have no authority to say 'yes' or 'no' to the application," Zhang Liming said.
Listing as a municipal intangible cultural heritage was the first step to world heritage listing, but it needed the approval from panels of academics and officials on three levels of municipal conferences, which considered applications, said Zhang Liming.
Head of the municipal academic panel Professor Chen Qinjian, from East China Normal University in Shanghai, said the main problem for the application was to distill the scientific elements in fengshui from the superstition.
Shanghai, with just 700 years of history, was much younger than fengshui culture, and not an ideal location for the application, Chen said.
Shanghai had a sound foundation as one of the origins of modern fengshui studies and further studies should be done to refine the scientific elements from the superstition, said Zhang Liangren who claimed to have an academic team of 25 scholars studying fengshui.
"Most professors studying fengshui in Shanghai are around 70 years old. We fear for the future of fengshui as a real and useful discipline, which is why I am doing this despite my age," said Zhang, 63.
Zhang said the study of fengshui would be better protected if it were recognized as an intangible cultural heritage.
Fengshui is an environment-evaluation system based on the philosophy of the ancient Book of Changes, said Peking University Professor Yu Xixian.
"Fengshui usually leads me to the same conclusions on building locations as architecture experts," Yu said.
The most famous use of fengshui in recent years was the Hong Kong Bank of China building, designed by architect Ieoh Ming Pei, said Shan Zhiqiang, executive chief editor of Chinese National Geographic.
"Some fengshui experts see the building as a sharp knife shining coldly in the center of Hong Kong, while Pei designed it to look like a spring bamboo shoot suggesting the life of the bank," said Shan.
Connected with creating luck, fengshui was making a comeback in China "in the name of science", warned Tao Shilong, a noted science fiction writer in an online forum earlier last year.
The word fengshui was first found in a book called Book of Burial written by Guo Pu 1,600 years ago, detailing how the location and decoration of a tomb could create luck for the occupant's descendants, Tao said.
"Fengshui is no science. It only swells the wallets of swindlers and raises unnecessary costs in building construction," Tao said.
His view was echoed by historian Gu Xiaoming, from Shanghai's Fudan University. "Fengshui contains too many mysterious elements which separate it from science."
Some principles are just simple learnings dating back to when the first house dwellers became aware of that a south-facing door was the best way to utilize sunshine, said Xu Pingfang, secretary general of the Chinese Society of Archaeology.
The Forbidden City in Beijing and many other cultural monuments were designed with fengshui theory in the hope of continuing a thriving and prosperous country, Xu said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2007)
Adjust font size: ZoomIn ZoomOut
A Shanghai organization has postponed plans to apply to make fengshui a "municipal intangible cultural heritage" after claiming biased news coverage reignited a controversy over its merits.
"I was pressured to stop the application before I finished it by a leader of Shanghai Social Sciences Association right after the local newspaper, Oriental Morning Post, released the story," said Zhang Liangren, vice chairman of the Shanghai Life Esthetics Association.
Zhang would not reveal the name of the leader, but he said the pressure began after the Oriental Morning Post published an allegedly slanted account of his application, which he planned to submit this month.
"The main reason why fengshui faces opposition is because many people and government officials think it is superstitious," Zhang said.
Widely practised in China for thousands of years, fengshui is commonly denigrated as a superstition rather than recognized as a cultural phenomenon by local government.
Fengshui means "wind and water" if directly translated from Chinese. It was also called Kanyu in ancient Chinese, meaning a geomantic omen applied to a building or a piece of land.
Traditionally, fengshui practitioners were usually consulted before construction or renovation of a building.
"Fengshui is a branch of science, rather than superstition," says the application of the Shanghai Life Esthetics Association, a member organization of Shanghai Social Sciences Association.
"As a building and location evaluation based on geology, landform and physiognomy, it is an important part of traditional Chinese culture," said Zhang.
He said applications in other east Asian countries triggered their action.
Emphasizing the harmonious co-existence of man and environment, fengshui is a discipline of geography, architecture, ethics and prophecy based on the Taoist principle that the earth, sky and man are part of one whole, said Zhang.
Although the Chinese government has never banned the practice officially, fengshui is defined in Chinese contemporary dictionaries as a "superstitious belief from ancient China".
Opponents, ranging from ordinary people to government officials, say recognition of this 'superstition' contradicts China's current concept of scientific development.
But a survey on Sohu.com, one of China's major websites, showed 80 percent of 1,200 people polled supported the application, while only 16 percent thought it was too superstitious and commercialized to be listed.
"I will never stop. We are aiming to restore the good reputation of fengshui," Zhang said.
A seminar on fengshui will be held in the near future, gathering as many scholars as possible to improve the application, Zhang said.
The biggest obstacle to the application lay in the lack of an appropriate representative of fengshui, said Zhang Liming, director of Shanghai Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center.
Although China has seen a revival of fengshui, the authorities could find no representative individuals or institutions, said Zhang Liming. Studies in universities were conducted only by individual professors, while the so-called "fengshui masters" were just out to make money.
"Zhang Liangren has put a lot of effort into the application for years. He discussed with me his application last year, but I have no authority to say 'yes' or 'no' to the application," Zhang Liming said.
Listing as a municipal intangible cultural heritage was the first step to world heritage listing, but it needed the approval from panels of academics and officials on three levels of municipal conferences, which considered applications, said Zhang Liming.
Head of the municipal academic panel Professor Chen Qinjian, from East China Normal University in Shanghai, said the main problem for the application was to distill the scientific elements in fengshui from the superstition.
Shanghai, with just 700 years of history, was much younger than fengshui culture, and not an ideal location for the application, Chen said.
Shanghai had a sound foundation as one of the origins of modern fengshui studies and further studies should be done to refine the scientific elements from the superstition, said Zhang Liangren who claimed to have an academic team of 25 scholars studying fengshui.
"Most professors studying fengshui in Shanghai are around 70 years old. We fear for the future of fengshui as a real and useful discipline, which is why I am doing this despite my age," said Zhang, 63.
Zhang said the study of fengshui would be better protected if it were recognized as an intangible cultural heritage.
Fengshui is an environment-evaluation system based on the philosophy of the ancient Book of Changes, said Peking University Professor Yu Xixian.
"Fengshui usually leads me to the same conclusions on building locations as architecture experts," Yu said.
The most famous use of fengshui in recent years was the Hong Kong Bank of China building, designed by architect Ieoh Ming Pei, said Shan Zhiqiang, executive chief editor of Chinese National Geographic.
"Some fengshui experts see the building as a sharp knife shining coldly in the center of Hong Kong, while Pei designed it to look like a spring bamboo shoot suggesting the life of the bank," said Shan.
Connected with creating luck, fengshui was making a comeback in China "in the name of science", warned Tao Shilong, a noted science fiction writer in an online forum earlier last year.
The word fengshui was first found in a book called Book of Burial written by Guo Pu 1,600 years ago, detailing how the location and decoration of a tomb could create luck for the occupant's descendants, Tao said.
"Fengshui is no science. It only swells the wallets of swindlers and raises unnecessary costs in building construction," Tao said.
His view was echoed by historian Gu Xiaoming, from Shanghai's Fudan University. "Fengshui contains too many mysterious elements which separate it from science."
Some principles are just simple learnings dating back to when the first house dwellers became aware of that a south-facing door was the best way to utilize sunshine, said Xu Pingfang, secretary general of the Chinese Society of Archaeology.
The Forbidden City in Beijing and many other cultural monuments were designed with fengshui theory in the hope of continuing a thriving and prosperous country, Xu said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2007)
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
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
Metro painted mountain sparks controversy
Metro painted mountain sparks controversy
Source: CRI
03-14-2007 16:51
A painted mountain in Yunnan Province's Fumin County is causing much controversy. The 2,800-square-meter face of Laoshou Mountain had been an eyesore for years following quarrying. Last July, it was spray-painted green.
According to media reports, a local boss'house faces the mountain, and he decided to 'decorate' it for fengshui reasons. The painting costs him less than 30,000 yuan ($3,800).
Some villagers complain it was too much of a waste, as the money was enough for reforesting the mountain.
An official with the local Agriculture and Forestry Bureau says his bureau collaberated with the boss to paint the mountain green. Local officials say the mountain painting would not harm the environment.
The national forestry bureau is currently investigating into the incident.
Editor:Liu Fang
Source: CRI
03-14-2007 16:51
A painted mountain in Yunnan Province's Fumin County is causing much controversy. The 2,800-square-meter face of Laoshou Mountain had been an eyesore for years following quarrying. Last July, it was spray-painted green.
According to media reports, a local boss'house faces the mountain, and he decided to 'decorate' it for fengshui reasons. The painting costs him less than 30,000 yuan ($3,800).
Some villagers complain it was too much of a waste, as the money was enough for reforesting the mountain.
An official with the local Agriculture and Forestry Bureau says his bureau collaberated with the boss to paint the mountain green. Local officials say the mountain painting would not harm the environment.
The national forestry bureau is currently investigating into the incident.
Editor:Liu Fang
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