Fengshui： Superstition or Science？

　　Like a coin with two sides， ancient Chinese geomancy makes both sense and trouble

　　Origin of Fengshui

　　Fengshui dates back to time immemorial. Throughout history， the Chinese have relied heavily on divination before taking certain actions， depending on naturally inscribed bone or tortoise shell patterns in the Shang Dynasty (around 17th-11th century B.C.) for example.

　　Ancient Chinese believed man and nature to be integral. All natural elements， including air and water， were essential to sustain life. Moreover， with fortune constantly shifting， much like these elements， ancient people automatically linked their lives with the environment. In a bid to avoid disaster， the Chinese subsequently came to use fengshui as a guiding principle to build palaces， residences， villages and even tombs， pursuing a harmonious relationship between man and nature.

　　Fengshui， as a metaphysical sect， would never have been established without the efforts of Taoist thinkers during the Warring States Period (475-221B.C.)， alongside followers of various other forms of philosophy， including Confucianism. Taoists hoped to explain nature via certain theories， adopting I Ching， China‘s oldest book of divination， as well as the principles of yin， yang and the five elements (metal， wood， water， fire and earth).

　　During the Wei and Jin dynasties (220-581)， Guo Pu (276-324)， a famous scholar and Taoist of the time， comprehensively explained and listed the rules of fengshui in his book Zangjing (The Book for Burials). For example， he believed that a mountain was closely related to determining the number of family members and that water could bring wealth. Therefore， he advocated people to build homes with a hill at the back and a river surrounding them. Because of his remarkable contribution， Guo was regarded as the founder of fengshui theory and its legendary prophet.

　　The location of Hongcun embodies the scientific side of fengshui， its geographic conditions being largely favorable. The village lies on the southern slope of the mountain， shielded against cold northern winds in winter and free of floods during summer. A 1，000-meter-long stream flows through its center， along which an irrigation system and wooden houses were built， each provided with water. Such a layout has contributed much to fireproofing efforts and the survival of the village over several centuries. Today， about 140 such ancient buildings remain preserved here.

　　The village proves a striking example of how fengshui design and scientific disciplines such as geophysics， hydrology， architecture and ecology can work in harmony.

　　Obsession makes ridiculous

　　Despite its important role in Chinese culture， some still view fengshui with a certain amount of skepticism， it is so deeply rooted in ancient superstition and folklore， not to mention its widespread use by an array of charlatans out to make a quick profit.

　　A store， registered on Taobao， China’s largest business-to-customer online market， earned nearly 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) over 10 months by trading fengshui objects priced from 38 yuan ($6.2) to 5，888 yuan ($962). Its boss， Luo Shun， claimed these products could help improve health， while bringing wealth and good luck to a family if they are properly situated in certain places at home. He even styled himself as a master of the art， instilling fear into his clients via possible curses should they complain， before eventually being charged by local prosecutors.

　　Master Beiyue， a senior monk at Wutaishan Buddhist Monastery， explained that under the circumstances of drastic social change， many people feel spiritually barren and hope to make amends by following principles such as fengshui， which fraudsters often use to profit on.

　　As a part of traditional Chinese culture， fengshui is a combination of ancient wisdom and witchcraft. There is no need to turn simple matters into mysteries， he said.

　　Origin of Fengshui

　　Fengshui dates back to time immemorial. Throughout history， the Chinese have relied heavily on divination before taking certain actions， depending on naturally inscribed bone or tortoise shell patterns in the Shang Dynasty (around 17th-11th century B.C.) for example.

　　Ancient Chinese believed man and nature to be integral. All natural elements， including air and water， were essential to sustain life. Moreover， with fortune constantly shifting， much like these elements， ancient people automatically linked their lives with the environment. In a bid to avoid disaster， the Chinese subsequently came to use fengshui as a guiding principle to build palaces， residences， villages and even tombs， pursuing a harmonious relationship between man and nature.

　　Fengshui， as a metaphysical sect， would never have been established without the efforts of Taoist thinkers during the Warring States Period (475-221B.C.)， alongside followers of various other forms of philosophy， including Confucianism. Taoists hoped to explain nature via certain theories， adopting I Ching， China‘s oldest book of divination， as well as the principles of yin， yang and the five elements (metal， wood， water， fire and earth).

　　During the Wei and Jin dynasties (220-581)， Guo Pu (276-324)， a famous scholar and Taoist of the time， comprehensively explained and listed the rules of fengshui in his book Zangjing (The Book for Burials). For example， he believed that a mountain was closely related to determining the number of family members and that water could bring wealth. Therefore， he advocated people to build homes with a hill at the back and a river surrounding them. Because of his remarkable contribution， Guo was regarded as the founder of fengshui theory and its legendary prophet.