About Feng Shui

Mina Zheng

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art, which has 5000 years history. Feng Shui is classified under the study of Physiognomy, which refers to the observation of appearances done through formulas and calculations, these assess the potential and outcome of a person in relation to his/her living and working environment.

“Feng Shui” is literally translated as “wind and water” in Chinese. It is the name that was given to an ancient art which was originally a closely guarded secret of masters who advised the emperors of China concerning the location and arrangement of their palaces and the location of the graves of their ancestors. The Tang Emperors were especially firm believers in Feng Shui, and they applied its principles in order to generate and protect the prosperity of the nation and to defeat their enemies. The result was that the Tang dynasty was one of the most prosperous in Chinese history.

Over thousands of years, Feng Shui spread from the ancient Chinese masters who advised the emperors to the aristocracy and the general population. Though Chairman Mao (Mao Ze Dong) believed in and personally abided by its principles, he banned it in China. However the different Feng Shui schools managed to survive, and an abundance of their classical works have been handed down to us. Since Chairman Mao, Feng Shui has once again been permitted in China. Under the influence of this ancient wisdom, China has entered a prosperous era.

During the Chinese Culture Revolutions, many Chinese Feng Shui masters moved to places such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore where they continued to practice the art. From there, Feng Shui has spread to many western countries where it has become increasingly popular. Feng Shui is now a truly global art, which seeks to establish harmony throughout the world.

Feng Shui is the art of arranging the physical environment in a way that harmonizes with the daily lives of the individuals and groups living within it. This involves organising both the visible environment and invisible energies which influence people’s day to day living.

Feng Shui is based on the analysis of five elements which are considered the basic components of the universe – metal, fire, wood, water, and earth. The way these elements relate to each other defines a productive and destructive cycle. The productive cycle is defined by the way wood produces fire, fire produces earth, earth produces metal, metal produces water, and water produces wood.

The destructive cycle is defined by the way wood destroys earth, earth destroys water, water destroys fire, fire destroys metal, and metal destroys wood. These cycles are never-ending.

Based on the philosophy of “Tian, Di, Ren” (heaven, earth and mankind) Feng Shui represents a third of the Cosmic Factor that influences one’s life, the other two being Destiny and Human Factors.

Feng Shui is a subject that has a wealth of formulas and a great depth of analysis and practice. This web site features case studies in “Eight Mansions Feng Shui”, “Flying Star Feng Shui” and “Destiny Reading” to help readers to understand Feng Shui principles.