The classical Chinese gardens in Suzhou are very good examples of the application of feng shui concepts in landscaping. All buildings within the city were also symmetrically arranged on either side of the axis in order to create a harmonious flow of Qi.įeng shui principles have also traditionally been used to design outdoor spaces in China. In accordance with feng shui principles, The Forbidden City was built on a main axis running from north to south, with the main front entrance facing south which was deemed an auspicious direction by the feng shui masters at the time. A good example of this use of the concept can be seen in the construction of The Forbidden City.
FENG SHUI ROOM PLANNER WINDOWS
Those planning a construction project should first take into consideration the location of the land, the area surrounding it and the direction that each proposed structure and its windows face.įeng shui places great importance on symmetry in architecture. Feng shui in constructionįeng shui was and still is used to determine the ideal location of buildings and other sites, such as gardens, as well as their layout. The Sun Yatsen Mausoleum in Nanjing was built according to feng shui principles. The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and the Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, both located in Nanjing, are good examples of tombs built according to traditional feng shui principles. One of the general principles used to choose such an auspicious location in feng shui is “lean against mountains and face waters,” so many tombs are built on or near mountains overlooking water. Choosing a poor location, however, can bring misfortune on future generations.Īuspicious locations were thought to be those with good Qi flow. Many people believe that choosing the right position for one’s grave can bring blessings for one’s posterity. This practice is still used today, with practionisers using the Chinese compass to find the best location for a person’s grave. Some of the earliest references to feng shui can be traced back to the Zhou dynasty (1122 BCE), when it was used for determining ideal locations for burial sites. The Chinese originally invented the compass as a tool for use in feng shui. Today, the traditional Luopan is still used by feng shui practitioners to determine the best location of objects. This realization led to one of the greatest inventions in human history: the magnetic compass, or 罗盘 (luópán), also called the “feng shui compass.”Īlthough initially used as a tool for divination, the Chinese magnetic compass was later adopted for navigation by the Song Dynasty during the 11th century. Later, they understood that these invisible forces corresponded with the magnetic forces of the Earth. Feng shui and the Chinese compassįor centuries, the Chinese believed that there were invisible forces at work all around us. Some scholars have also argued that feng shui symbols can be found in Taoism and Buddhism, suggesting that its history is bound up with that of these ancient belief systems. In fact, this concept may even have been utilized as long as 6,000 years ago.įeng shui is quite a complicated discipline, a geomancy with an incredibly long history tightly interwoven with Chinese astrology and metaphysics. However, what is clear is that its history spans at least 3,000 years. There is some debate when it comes to the origins and history of feng shui. The history of feng shui and its ancient traditions
Together, Yin and Yang represent the duality of opposite forces that make up everything in the universe.įeng shui principles represent a blueprint that, if followed, can help balance and create harmony between these vital energies.įeng shui principles have been used for centuries to create harmonious indoor and outdoor environments. Yang energy, which is traditionally associated with males, is said to be active and light, while Yin, or “female,” energy is said to be dark and passive. The word “feng shui” is a combination of the Chinese words for wind (风 fēng) and water (水 shuǐ), and can roughly be translated as “the way of wind and water.” Feng shui is an ancient Chinese philosophical concept based on the idea of “conscious occupation” and the harmonization of space, with the aim of bringing positive energy and influence to the people who occupy space in the world. The history of feng shui and its ancient traditions.
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