Feng Shui--The Priceless Treasure of Traditional Chinese Culture

By Jian Ji

Although we all along pursue peace and health, everything is closely related to others and there is inseparable relationship between something that seem as if they have absolutely nothing to do with each other, which is far beyond our level of understanding. Perhaps, people in many countries don’t think there is direct relation between their health and the position, topography of their houses and their ancestral graves, but in China, this kind of relation had been tried out for several thousands of years. Here’s our explanation on the point of the theory of photography.

Feng shui of the Traditional Chinese Culture that is vast as ocean is broad and profound and plays an important role in the process of the development of Chinese Culture, economy, and science over several thousands of years, which is like a bright pearl and will shine for ever. From very ancient time, using Feng shui, Chinese people turn ill luck into good, get rid of illness, cast off poverty, bear posterity and win promotion, so they include: one can change the destined fate by using Feng shui. Feng shui is so vast and my learning is so deficient, but I hope to exchange point with you.

I The basic meaning of Feng shui

The word “Feng shui” first appeared in the Funeral Book by Guo Pu(a pseudonym) ,A.D. 276——324 of Jin Dynasty, in which says, “The position of grave should be with vivid Qi, ” “ Qi disperses when wind blows, but it will stop when meets water, ancient people gathered it to avoid dispersing, making it stopping, and calling it ‘Feng shui’.  Qi surrounded by water is first-class Feng shui, the one can avoid wind, second class.”, described in scripture. “Feng shui is formed naturally when the shallow and the deep is ride. Qi forms wind when being blown; forms cloud when raises; rain, when falls; vivid Qi, when travels in earth, so earth is the body, after having the earth can have the Qi; Qi is the mother of water, after having the Qi can have the water.” Feng shui culture is called Kan Yu science before this period. “Kan Yu popular among the people is one of the folk arts such as astrology, etc. of Traditional Chinese Culture. a. It’s one of the alternative name of heaven and earth. Huai Naizi by Xu shen annotated: Kan is the Tao of heaven; and Yu, the Tao of earth.2.The topography of the foundation and campo Santo as well as the arts of telling the fortune by reading the house and graves, which can be also understood as that: Kan is to observe astronomical phenomena, Yu is to observe the terrestrial Qi. According to record of Ci Yuan, “Feng shui is topography and direction of houses and graves.” According to Ci Hai, “Feng shui is also called Kan Yu, which means the arts of telling the fortune by reading the house and graves.”

The core of Feng shui is to select and settle the living environment, the key of which is people; the aim of using it is the perfect harmony of men and the natural environment, which regards men as the principal part, at the same time, stresses the natural and geographical environment, pays attention to the harmony of order of nature, geographical conditions and good relations with the people, therefore, Feng shui is often called “theory of the relation between man and earth’s magic field”, “aesthetics”, “environmental science”, “element science”, “soft science”, etc. Its objects include dwelling houses, palaces, temples, graves, villages and cities, etc., the one concerning graves is called Yin house, and concerning people’s house called Yang houses. It affects living environment on three aspects: a. selecting address: that is, to select a position that can satisfy people’s physiology and psychology. b. Settling the living environment: that is to use and reform natural environment, to choose the direct, position, size and height of the house, entrance and exit, etc., settle the path, water service and drain pipe, etc. c. Adding some special Taoist figures: the purpose of which is to satisfy the people’s psychology of avoiding ill luck and choosing the good. (Quoted from Feng Shui Tan Yuan Xu)

Sometimes, Feng shui is called “Geographical Feng shui” or “geography” in short, or “Qing wu”, “Qing wu shu”  very long time ago.

II The origin of Feng shui

     Chinese people have been conscious of geographical Feng shui since ancient time, “In ancient time, people is fewer but beasts more and they can’t be defended against them.” Under such arduous conditions, people could only lived on trees. Then, they firstly remade living environment in the process of understanding and remaking the nature. The ruins of an primitive village over 6,000 or 7,000 years ago, -- Ban Po village, mainly located in Ma Lan stepping ground, very near to rivers’ converging place and lakes. Ruins of Ban Po in Xi’an lies in upper reaches of Fen River, tributary of Wei River, the stepping ground of it is high but gentle, with fertile soil and suit to plant and live, thus can be seen that the tribe of that time has begun to choose living environment on the basis of mastering some knowledge on Feng shui, and knowing the relation between position of house, sunshine and cold. For instance, houses in the center of Ban Po village face the south, the ones around which, east, this shows people of that time has already preferred to settle houses towards south and east rather than settle  towards  north and west. There are defensive trenches around the ruins, north to which are cemetery, the south, the same, it’s obvious to see that cemetery was separated from the living houses. (source: Feng Shui Tan Yuan)

     The writings  on selecting houses  produced during Yin Zhou time, according to record, when Duke Liu of Zhou dynasty move from Tai to Bin, he said: “ The position of grave should be selected according to the environment, Yin and Yang, and the directions of flowing river and spring.” (Gong Liu of The Book of Songs)

Theory of Feng shui began to form during Warring states period and Spring-autumn period,  Biography of Chu Lits of The Book of history .recorded: Chu Lits, brother of another venter of King Qin Hui, selected grave at Zhang Tai of Wei Nan himself before his death and predicted: One hundred years later, emperor’s grave will surround mine. As he expected, Chang Le grave situated in the east to his, Wei Yang grave, in the west. This story reflected the rule of people's selecting living house and grave. Sou Shan Ji by Zhu Xiantao of Qin Dynasty is the important part of theory of Feng shui.

In Han Dynasty, integrating Yin and Yang, Taiji, the Five Elements and the Eight Diagrams formed the theory frame of viewing the universe as a whole; this frame is the theoretical basis of Feng shui for which raising the mechanical activity of Feng shui such as choosing capital to theory. Theory of Feng shui of this period contained not only choosing position, but also picking auspicious day. Lun Heng by Wang Chong brilliantly exposited the theory of picking auspicious day and mentioned the point of “ The soil on  top of the head of Tai Sui can’t be moved.” Besides the Funeral Book, monograph on Feng shui of Qin-han period such as Kan Yu Jin Kui, Topography of Palace, etc. included in Han Shu Yi Wen Zhi.

Theory of Feng shui became perfect during WeiJin-Northsouth Dynasty; and Feng shui Master was praised highly. For example, Guo Pu wrote another book named Classic of Funeral Book, and his Funeral Book of this time was considered as the classic theory of Feng shui, Famous Feng shui Master Guan Lu, who has a good command of divination, anthroposophy and telling the fortune by reading the grave, was praised highly. It’s said that he sighed, leaning on a tree, “Although the tree is flourishing, it can depend nothing; although the stele and inscription are magnificent, no one will watch them; Xuan Wu hid its head; black Dragon tripped, white tiger held corpse in the mouth, red sparrow wept sadly, the four evil omens presaged that the family will become extinct." His prophecy has come true afterwards. After his mother death, Guo Pu chose a place in Jiyang to bury her, this place is surrounded by water, people worried which would be flooded if the water raised, so considered it not good, but he presaged that the water would dry up. And soon after, tens of kilometers of land surrounding the grave became fertile farmland when the water receding, thus made Guo Pu very famous and he was considered as the founder of Feng shui because of his Funeral Book.  

In Tang and Song Dynasty, Feng shui was very popular, Funeral Book and compass are widely used. The birth of Qing Nang Yue Yu made Feng shui become an independent theory and form the regular system. Tian Wen Da Xiang Fu,Da Yan Li by Li Bo and Li Chunfeng, astronomy records of Book of Jin, Book of Sui edited by Li Chunfeng describing the main constellation in detail, made Feng shui correspond to heaven and earth. Observing and studying topography of mountains and rivers has become common practice. Seng Yixing, an accomplished monk of Tang Dynasty, raised the brilliant exposition on magnetic declination, therefore, Li Chunfeng and Yixing is addressed as master of their time.

In Tang Dynasty, Buddhism and Taoism prevailed and influenced Feng shui mutually. “Qi” of Taoism integrating with Yi Ching, Taiji, Yin and Yang, the Eight-Diagrams, etc. formed the core part of theory of Feng shui of the latter times.

The new Feng shui theory is very miscellaneous and can be divided into two sects, one of which is Jiangxi sect, also called form sect; the other is Fujian sect,also called Liqi sect or ancestral temple sect. Yang Junsong, born in Douzhou, addressed as the founder respectfully, being called Yang Jiupin, with given name Yi, the revered Mr.Yang in short, and the senior official of Jin Ziguang, in charge of geography, stole Yu Han Ching, the banned book on Feng shui, escaping and hiding. Later, he wrote Yi Long Jing, Han Long Jing, zang Fa Shi Er Zhang, Qin Nang Ao Yu,etc., which laid a solid foundation for theory of Feng shui and were regarded as priceless treasure.

Jiangxi sect, founded by famous master such as Yang Junsong, Zeng Wendi, Lai Dayou, Xie Ziyi, ect. regarded the beginning and end place of mountains and rivers as the subject, the harmonization of dragon, water course, sand, water, direction as substance, Liqi sect was also called principle sect, which observed and studied the relation between the changes of geography, climates, terrestrial pole, magnetic waves and human body. Zhi Jiao sect concluded that the circumstance was the principal part, Li and Qi were the changeable part, and humanity should combine the principle with the  changeable parts.

In Ming and Qing Dynasty, Feng shui was on the top and the activity of it became very common among folk and imperial family. Liu Bowen, the Feng shui master at the beginning of Ming Dynasty, has great influence on Feng shui. Jiang Dahong of the later age have geographical Fengshui developed to a new degree on the base of the revered Mr Yang, the Dialectic on Geography by him regarded Aixing as the main content of Li and Qi is the classic on Fengshui of modern times. The Shen’s Theory on Mysterious Empty by master Shen Zhureng during the last period of Qing Dynasty, explained Mr Jiang’s theory in very simple language, and was considered the important classic on present Feng shui theory.

In Ming and Qing Dynasty, the spurious editions on Feng shui spread unchecked, which greatly puzzled the ones that just began to learn, as the saying goes, “As virtue rises one foot, vice rises ten” just because the spurious editions prevailed, the swindlers run rampantly, divining outrageously, and causing many mortal tragedies.

Feng shui, rooted from the need of life and agricultural production, the theory of which is originated and tried out by the practice of observing and reforming nature of humanity, so it’s the true science.