Feng Shui, from the west back to the east

After the reform and opening up, Feng Shui and other traditional Chinese philosophy, culture and scientific ideas gradually began to break the ice of ideology and academic research. With the deepening of reform and opening up and the booming of the ideological emancipation movement, most of the originally imprisoned thoughts and research forbidden areas have been freed from shackles. But the fate of Feng Shui was quite bumpy. I learned from Mr. Yu Xixian, a famous historical geographer of Peking University and an expert in landscape design, planning and Oriental cultural ecology (feng shui). From my husband, I got a book about Feng Shui by a famous foreign scholar Yin Hongji. Because of the policy at that time Unable to publish for environmental reasons, I had to stop translating halfway through. In the past ten years, due to actual needs, especially in tourism planning, landscape design, real estate development, urban protection and construction, there have been a large number of thoughts and behaviors that do not pay attention to the inheritance of local culture and the harmony between heaven, earth and people. Leading to failures in planning, design, construction, and protection, and aroused the attention and appeal of people of insight in history, culture, tourism planning, landscape design, and architecture. There are more relevant studies and writings, and this passive situation is only possible. Changed.

In 1986, the arrival of a foreign scholar opened a door to international exchanges for the study of Chinese Fengshui, and at the same time, it also revived the awareness of the mainland scholars on the study of Fengshui. He is the aforementioned "famous foreign feng shui scholar" and Dr. Yin Hongji, a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Yin Hongji is a Korean. He studied under the world-renowned human geography master Sol (G,0,Sauer) and Professor Wo丨fram Eberbard from the Department of Folklore and Sociology at the University of Berkeley in the United States.

In 1976, he published his doctoral dissertation "Research on Geomancy in Korea" (also known as Geomancy in ancient times), and published several articles on geomancy in internationally renowned magazines, which attracted the attention of the academic community. Based on the recommendation of Mr. Xixian from Peking University in 1986, Yin Hong went to China for research and inspection to verify his thesis: Feng Shui originated from the site selection of cave dwellings in the Loess Plateau of China.

At this time, domestic academic circles began to use the term "feng shui" as the subject of document retrieval, and found that Chinese missionaries and foreign scholars had a long history of disseminating and studying Chinese Feng Shui thought and achieved outstanding results.

Chinese Fengshui thought was introduced to the Korean peninsula during the early Silla era in the 7th century. In Korean historical documents, there are a large number of records about Feng Shui. The most famous one is the Feng Shui story about Lee Taejo and Hanyang (Seoul).

During the Goryeo Period (918~1392 AD), Songak (now Kaesong) was the capital of North Korea. After Li Chenggui (Li Taejo) overthrew the Goryeo regime and founded the Li Dynasty (1392~1910), some monks suggested that Hanyang (ie Seoul, present-day Seoul) should be the capital, thinking that the geographical environment of Hanyang is fully in line with the ideal pattern of Feng Shui. Li Taizu finally adopted the monk's suggestion and moved the capital to Hanyang.

The time when Feng Shui was introduced to Japan is generally believed to have been brought to Japan by Japanese envoys sent to the Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty around the 7th century. Some scholars also believe that Feng Shui was introduced to Japan through North Korea. Japanese scholar Shino Watanabe believes that feng shui spreads in East Asia, and "neighboring countries started with South Korea." After Feng Shui was introduced to Japan, it initially affected the construction and layout of towns and temples, and then quickly became popular in other buildings and the lives of ordinary people. In Japan, Feng Shui is more called "Family Xiang". In the first half of the Heian period in Japan, during the Kanhei period of Emperor Uta (889~898 AD), Fujiwara Sase compiled the "Book Catalogue in Japan". In the "Five Elements" category, the "Blue Wuzi" from China was included. "The Yellow Emperor's Dragon Shou Jing" and several other feng shui classics. In the Edo period, Japanese authors' works began to be published, the most famous such as Songpu Toki's "Family Xiangquan", Yipu Yinhe's "Shoujia" and so on. In modern times, Japan’s earliest research book on Feng Shui is "Feng Shui in North Korea" by Murayama Tomoshunde.

In 1991, Shegu Zhenming published "The Influence of Feng Shui Geography on the Li Chao-eup Colony" on the 43rd volume of the journal Human Geography, which classified the 331 existing villages in the Joseon Dynasty of the Korean peninsula and divided 7 types of site selection. The conclusion is that 70% of the villages are located in the "back mountains and rivers" and "Tibetan Fengshui" zone, which conforms to the typical Fengshui pattern. Other more influential works include "Feng Shui Thought and East Asia" by Watanabe Kinoo, "Feng Shui and Urban Image" co-authored by Kunio Sanga and Takeshi Mao Gang, and "Interval Design Compatible with Yangzhai School" by Okamoto. In 1989, Japan also established the National Feng Shui Researchers Conference, with the purpose of coordinating relevant Feng Shui research, coordinating research in related fields, collecting relevant research information in the world, and establishing the theory of "the East overwhelms the West".

In Southeast Asian countries, the idea of feng shui is deeply immersed in business, folk and even politicians, becoming a kind of folk culture that seeks good luck and avoids evil and pursues auspicious and beautiful environment.

In Singapore, Feng Shui is widely valued. The Guanyintang Temple, located on the east side of Singapore’s Tro Blanch Road, is a typical resort that perfectly combines the construction of Chinese temples with the requirements of Feng Shui. The temple was built in 1886. It faces the sea on the front, and the front can receive the sun from the lowlands, and the back is surrounded by mountains on three sides, showing the tendency of "sitting on the mountain and looking at the sea." The Jade Emperor Hall, another famous religious building in Singapore, contains a stone stele that describes the site selection process: "Fan Si was built as a temple, built in Yongquan Street, with mountains surrounding the harbor, Yuanhan Yuezhi, surrounded by green and green, and also a scenic spot. "This approach is the same as the description of places, family sites, and construction in the Chinese chronicles.

Today, many hotels and buildings in Singapore are designed or adjusted according to the advice of local or foreign feng shui masters. It is said that the famous Hyde Hotel in Singapore has repeatedly invited famous Feng Shui masters to renovate the hotel’s courtyard, fountain and hotel reception.

In the Malaysian port city of Penang, there is a Chinese-style temple Kek Lok Si, which was selected according to the Chinese Feng Shui model. “It has the Qinglong Mountain on the left and the White Tiger Mountain on the right. The hill where the Kek Lok Si is located gives a sense of flying cranes.” In addition, For example, the headquarters of Malaysia Airlines, Bloometta and United Industries Malaysia are all designed according to the Feng Shui model. The purpose is to achieve a coordinated and balanced effect on the architectural style, landscape, and environment of the region.

As for the study and introduction of Chinese Fengshui in the West, it can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty Italian missionary Matteo Ricci (1552--1610) came to China. In 1582, he was sent to China by the Roman Jesuits, which played an important role in the promotion and dissemination of Chinese culture and the promotion of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. In his book "The History of Chinese Missionary", he described the activities of Chinese Feng Shui masters: "Geography masters predict good and bad luck based on mountains, rivers, and geographical location. Looking at Feng Shui is very new to Westerners. Feng Shui masters believe that Feng Shui It can determine a family’s health, wealth, fame and achievement, and good fortune in one place." In "Matteo Ricci's Notes on China", he also described his knowledge about Chinese Feng Shui and commented on the philosophical background of Feng Shui. According to the Chinese theory, the entire material world-humans, animals, and mixtures-is composed of five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Chinese Confucian teaching says, “It is certain that the entire universe is composed of a common substance. The creator of the universe seems to have a continuum (corpuscontinuum), which is related to heaven and earth, humans, animals, trees, and the four elements (referring to the Western In the traditional concept, the four elements of land, water, fire, and wind inherited from ancient Greece coexist, and each individual thing is part of this continuum.” Later, in the 19th century, more missionaries came to mainland China. The West has a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, such as the German missionary Ed (1838~1908 AD) "Feng Shui-The Germination of Chinese Natural Science" (1873 Hong Kong publication), and the British missionary Eitel (Ernest J. Eitel) "Feng Shui-Ancient Chinese Sacred Landscape Science" (published in London in 1883) and other high-level academic monographs. They tried to use Western scientific ideas to reflect on the rational elements of Chinese Feng Shui , Opened a new way to understand and model the core of Fengshui science and philosophy (culture).

Ed wrote in his book: "What is Feng Shui? This question is always bothering us. When people buy a piece of land, build a house, tear down a wall, or raise a flagpole, the residents living in the trade port Encountered countless difficulties... When the Hong Kong government started to build the road, the famous ropeway to the Happy Valley, the local clans were caught in terrible fear because they thought it would destroy the dragon veins of Hong Kong. When many When the engineers involved in the road construction died of Hong Kong fever, and many foreigners had to abandon their homes built in Xingfu Valley because of the miasma, the Chinese triumphantly declared that this part was a fair verdict of Feng Shui."

Yitel wrote in the book, "In my opinion, Feng Shui is another name for natural science anyway." Based on the analysis of the natural philosophy of Chinese Feng Shui theory, he systematically reduced Feng Shui into “The Laws of Nature” (The Laws of Nature) and “Nature” from the four levels of “Li”, “Number”, “Qi” and “Shape”. A system composed of four propositions "The Numerical Proportions of Nature" (TheNumericalProportions of Nature), "The Breathof Nature" (The Breathof Nature), and "The Forms and Outlines of Nature" (The Forms and Outlines of Nature). After studying and analyzing, he recognized

Knowing that in the Chinese people’s feng shui view, everything in the world interacts with each other, and humans cannot go beyond them. Any activity in his life must conform to nature, so he must avoid living under the breath that is not conducive to human survival. Architectural activities should be conducive to the harmony of nature. But on the other hand, Feng Shui believes that the balance of the environment is not static. Under the premise of comprehensive consideration of the surrounding environment, the environment can still be artificially modified to achieve a new balance with mankind. He stripped off the superstition cloak of Feng Shui and believed that Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese natural science, has an organic view of nature. The material world is not in a static structure where everything has nothing to do with each other, but a "breathing organism", including humans. The various links inside are interacting. It can be said that Yitel’s research has promoted the scientific rationality of Feng Shui. At that time and even today, its research methods and conclusions have reached a certain height.

The modern and contemporary great scientist studying Chinese Fengshui should be the historian of ancient Chinese science and technology, a member of the Royal Society, and a member of the British Academy of Sciences, Dr. Joseph Needham. His definition of feng shui "feng shui is an alchemy for regulating the aura of harmony between man and the universe" is highly praised by domestic scholars. He pointed out that Feng Shui theory "always contains an aesthetic element", "the beauty of the countryside, houses, villages and towns all over China is unattainable and can be explained by this."

In 1984, the Todds published a book "Ecology Design Fundamentals", which included a special section "Feng Shui World View", quoting Paul Sun's report at the "New York Sun Village Conference" in 1982, which stated: " Fengshui worldview originates from the observation of heaven and earth, and it also contains profound mental induction. It is a method of harmony and coordination with nature, so that the inhabitants and their descendants can have a solid life in their settlements... Feng Shui does contain profound wisdom, making it a guide to the humble and submissive behavior of nature. As a worldview, Feng Shui provides and instructs a universal principle of interpretation for a stable culture." According to scholars such as Yu Xixian According to statistics, as of 1989, modern foreign research literature on Feng Shui has 120 types in Korean, 220 types in Japanese, 150 types in Chinese, and 250 types in Europe and America. Among them, Europe and the United States have the most research, and the scientific level of the content is higher.

In the United States, Chinese Fengshui thought was first introduced by Chinese workers in the 19th century. After the middle of the 20th century, with various environmental, social, psychological, and health problems brought about by industrialization and urbanization, Feng Shui began to spread in the United States not only in intellectual circles, but also in business and political circles. From the 1970s to the end of the 1980s, "Kan Feng Shui" began to flourish in the United States for a while. In many places, the level of real estate prices often depends on the quality of Feng Shui. Therefore, when real estate companies buy land or build office buildings, they often need to hire high-paying people who understand feng shui to preview feng shui. Some celebrities, wealthy businessmen, politicians, singers, movie stars, etc. often have to ask a Feng Shui master before making a decision when buying a house. According to reports, after Reagan left office, some of his friends in the movie circle collectively pooled money to buy him a residential building, which he invited a famous feng shui master in Hong Kong to see it.

From the outline of the above-mentioned feng shui dissemination and research process, we can see that feng shui has already crossed the borders of China and has become a cultural phenomenon of globalization. Moreover, if we don't pay much attention to the research and popularization of Feng Shui, the successors and those who promote it will not necessarily be Chinese. Not to mention that Western scholars have accelerated and strengthened the pace of academic research and theoretical application of Feng Shui, and relevant institutions and scholars in South Korea, Japan, Singapore and other countries are also vigorously expanding their research scope and results. For example, I have contacted a Feng Shui researcher and practitioner in Singapore. He offered Feng Shui-related courses at the Singapore University of Technology, awarded degrees from the University of Science and Technology, and often went to mainland China to recruit projects and conduct Feng Shui landscape planning. Korean scholars even pointed out that Feng Shui is the original idea of the Korean people and was not imported from China. They also intend to apply to the United Nations for intangible cultural heritage. It can be seen that in our country, it is very urgent to take a correct view of the research and popularization of Feng Shui and to carry forward the study of Feng Shui. It is by no means empty words to learn to go to the holy.

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