Anecdote of Feng Shui

Anecdote of Feng Shui

How Wu Zixu designed Feng Shui for the ancient city of Suzhou

Wu Zixu was born in an aristocratic family in the Chu Kingdom. He was well-educated since he was a child. The history books said that he was "less good at literature, but learned at martial arts." In 522 BC, Wu Zixu fled to the Kingdom of Wu because his father Wu She and brother Wu Shang were chased by the king of Chu Ping. After getting acquainted with Wu Gongziguang, he planned to stab Wu Wangliao to help Gongziguang win the throne. He Lu appointed him as a "pedestrian" and became an important adviser of the State of Wu.

Wu Zixu possessed great talents, and he was also trusted by Wu Wanghelu. In order to enable Wu Guo to be able to defend inside and conquer outside, he first suggested that Wu Zhenghe “set up the fortress first, set up defenses, put down the warehouses, and administer the military revolution”, and he was personally ordered to choose the site of the capital city of Wu. He "come with the earth and taste the water" and "like the heavens and the earth", finally chose the site of the ancient city of Suzhou, planned rationally, and built Helv City (now Suzhou).

Wu Zixu presided over the site selection and planning layout of Helu City. He put forward the principle of "taste the water with the earth, and the heaven is like the earth". With the idea of ​​"His esteem and inferior use heaven and earth as the image of law, and his copulation with yin and yang" to conduct field investigations, observe the properties of the soil, study the separation and integration of river springs and watersheds, and thus select the city site. The structure, location and orientation of the city are echoed and coordinated with the celestial phenomena. "Yin and Yang are reconciled, the four seasons are rational, the two suns change in time, cold and heat respond to qi", set up "Land gate eight, extinction by the image of the eight winds; The gossip of the earth". Open two doors on each of the four sides of the city wall to absorb the wind from all directions. In the east are Lou and Jiangmen, west is Lu and Xu, south is Pan and Snake, and north is Qi and Ping.

"Historical Records · Law Book" said: "Lv and Hefeng live in the west." These two gates were built westward to resemble the Tianmen, and Lufeng was introduced to pass the sky. Wu wanted to merge with Yue, and the country of Cunyue was in the position of the zodiac snake, so the southeast gate was named Snake Gate. Wu's main position is in the position of the dragon, Chen Fang; with the dragon fighting the snake, Wu will prevail over the Yue, and the dragon uses the plate as the power, so the southwest is the plate door. The two gates of Ping and Qi in the north are intended to level the country of Qi. Chu is in the northwest, and Lumen is also called Pochumen. The capital city with such a design layout is full of vitality and intends to rejuvenate and prosper, and its theme is also conceivable.

"The oil lamp fixes the hole" Song Dynasty "Sansu" Feng Shui Fun

"Sansu" is the home of well-known talents in the Song Dynasty in China. Their family is in Renshou County, Leshan City, Sichuan Province. There is also an interesting Feng Shui story in his ancestors.

Su Xun Su Laoquan's grandfather was a monk at that time, named "Bailian Taoist". He had a close friend named Jiang Shan, who was a famous Fengshui master at that time. Jiang Shan travels to famous mountains and rivers once every two years, looking for the dragon cloth cave, and after returning, he has to go to the Taoist temple of Bailian Taoist to practice quietly.

One day, Jiang Shan was playing chess with Taoist Bai Lian. Suddenly Jiang Shan asked: "Do you want to get the treasures of Feng Shui?" Taoist Bai Lian did not speak yet, Jiang Shan went on to say: "I wandered back this time and found two treasures of Feng Shui. One piece of land can be richer than Shichong, and another piece of land can be more expensive than the world and the prime minister. I can only give you one of these two pieces of land. You can choose by yourself!"

Taoist Bailian thought for a while and said: "I am a monk halfway through, and I still have a son studying at home, so I don't want to ask for riches, as long as my sons and grandchildren are capable."

Jiang Shan thought for a while, and said, "Neither of these two pieces of land are suitable, but the last time I was in Elephant Ear Mountain in Pengshan County, I found a good place, and there will be a world-renowned writer, so I will dedicate it to you. Well, we will set off to have a look tomorrow morning."

Taoist Bailian was very happy after hearing this.

So, just after dawn the next day, the two set off, and after a journey of ten days, they arrived at the Fengshui Treasure Cave of Xianger Mountain in Pengshan County. This place is surrounded by four mountains, the dragon is like a general, the horse is single-handed, the wolf peak is rising from the top of the dragon, the green trees are beautiful, the bright hall is open, the mountains in front of each other face each other, and a writing brush is beautiful, straight into the clouds , A small stream of water from the forest twists and turns upwards and disappears to the left rear, standing on the mountain peak with a whistle, the empty valley vibrates, the sound is clear and quiet, echoing in the valley for a long time. The acupuncture site is at the top of the mountain, and the big-back burial method usually adopts this position (called "dingtian acupoint" in Feng Shui terminology). The acupuncture point is slightly opened with a small nest of one meter large, surrounded by green grass, and the breeze is melodious.

Taoist Bailian was very happy to see this scene, but he sighed, "I'm afraid that the acupuncture point is high."

Seeing this, the geographer Jiang Shan knew his mind, so he squatted down and took out an oil lamp from his bag. After lighting it, he lightly placed it on the hole. Although there was wind from all directions, the light did not move.

Jiang Shan put his finger on the lamp and said: "This is the place of a good acupuncture point. You can't leave it for a single step. You can only produce a world-famous person if you are buried here. You can't form acupuncture points in other places. If you don't believe it, you can try it."

In order to be safe, Taoist Bailian used an oil lamp to test repeatedly where he thought he could stand a hole, and the light would be blown out by the wind. Only then did he truly admire Jiang Shan's superb Feng Shui technique.

One year later, the Taoist Bailian's mother passed away, and he buried it in the acupuncture points pointed by Jiang Shan. Soon, Jiang Shan came to Taoist Temple again and went to research his mother's grave together with Taoist Bailian .

Jiang Shan sighed after looking at it: "You still have a small mistake, I will help you correct it." So Jiang Shan started his own ritual and added a lot of soil to the left of the grave.

After a few years, Su Xun, the son of Taoist Bai Lian, became an official with an article, and even Su Shi and Su Che. They are all famous for their poems and songs. Among the "Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties", the Su family alone occupies three of them.

This "oil lamp fixes the hole" story is still circulated throughout Sichuan. This shows that Feng Shui occupies a very high position among the Chinese people and the court. Under the temptation of Feng Shui and the guidance of Mr. Feng Shui, even the Taoist Bailian, who is pure-hearted and indifferent to fame and fortune, cannot remain indifferent. Although he is not rich and honorable for his descendants, he seeks for his descendants. This belief has introduced three great talents to the Chinese literary world, and their contributions are also great. Of course, in addition to the role of Feng Shui, everything is inseparable from Sansu's usual hard work and their special talents, which makes them proud of the world.

Why did Ming Cheng Zu Zhu Di move his capital to Beijing

Fengshui has always been regarded as the emperor's art. The emperors have always built their tombs and built their capitals, and they all yearn for a good place. The establishment of a capital and a nation by the emperor also talked about the right luck of the heavenly stars, which is known as the "Three Walls" of Ziweiyuan, Taiweiyuan, and Tianshiyuan. Ziweiyuan is the head of the three walls of stars in the sky. It symbolizes the residence of the emperor’s emperor. Xingyuan's defects represent a certain kind of fierce response.

Now Nanjing has been praised by Emperor Zhuge: “Zhongshan dragon plate, stone tigers stalking, showing the purple wall, this emperor’s residence is also.” Mingwen Yuange University scholar Yang Rong believes: “The world is under the mountains and rivers, and the situation is majestic and magnificent. The layout is wide, with nine stars all arched together, and thousands of battles are set against each other to create a splendor. Those who can be the capital are no more than the Jinling." Because of the topography of Nanjing, many people have always built the capital. When Zhu Yuanzhang raised his troops in the late Yuan Dynasty, the adviser Feng Guoyong suggested: "Jinling, the capital of the emperors, first take the root as the foundation." After Zhu Yuanzhang gained the world, he set the tripod in Nanjing and ordered the military commander Liu Bowen to plan the construction of the imperial palace here. Liu Bowen was ordered to survey the auspicious land. He came to Zhongshan, walked around and measured carefully, carefully selected the best position of the palace, and buried wooden stakes as a marker, and then returned to the palace to report to Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy after hearing this, and told Empress Gao that Bowen Liu had chosen the site to build the palace. Empress Gao said: "Your Majesty is the emperor, and the whole world is yours. Why do you still listen to Liu Bowen for choosing a palace? "Zhu Yuanzhang heard what the Queen said and felt reasonable, so he went up to Zhongshan overnight and secretly moved the stake Liu Bowen had positioned. Early the next morning, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Liu Bowen to accompany him to the selected Jidi to take a look, so he came to Zhongshan again. Seeing that the stake he buried had been moved, Liu Bowen knew what was going on, but he didn't dare to move it over again, so he said: "This place is certainly a good place, but the future generations will inevitably fight and worry about moving the capital." Zhu Yuanzhang After listening, he ignored it. After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, it really happened that Ming Chengzu Zhu Di forcibly seized the position of Jianwen Emperor and moved his capital to Beijing.

Since the time when the capital was established in the Yuan Dynasty, Beijing has been called "the capital of the emperors." During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Kublai Khan had the guidance of an insightful man named Tulu, and it was known that Beijing was the capital of the founding. The best places include "the land of quiet swallows, the situation is majestic, the south controls the Jianghuai, the north connects Shuo desert, the emperor is in the center, and is won by the form of adoration from all directions", and it should be named after the "swallow" in order to win the world. Become the foundation of all ages. After Kublai Khan ascended the throne, he became the capital of Dayan and changed his name to Dadu. Kublai Khan never forgot the merits of Jitulu. He often said: "I am here to face the world, and the merits of Jitulu are also." One can imagine how great the influence of Fengshui was at that time. After Ming Chengzu Zhu Di ousted Emperor Jianwen from power, a group of his staff persuaded him to make Beijing the capital: "Fusion is only Beijing, the land of Longxing on the holy; the north is located in Yong, the west is in Taihang, the east is connected to the mountains and the sea, overlooking the Central Plains, fertile fields Thousands of miles, mountains and rivers, enough to control the Siyi world, it is the capital of all generations." Zhu Di listened to the counselor's words, so he moved his capital to Beijing.

What is the layout of Fengshui in Bagua Village in Zhuge, Zhejiang

Because the clans live together, villages are built according to geomantic omen, which is the general law of the formation of ancient Chinese villages. But like Zhuge Village in Lanxi, Zhejiang, it is rare to see the surname and homeland being pushed to the extreme of a culture and becoming a daily interpretation of morality and philosophy.

In Zhuge Village, everything maintains the simple folk customs, ancient architecture, primitive farming, and simple lifestyle. The most magical feature of Zhuge Village is the unique layout of the village in China-the layout of Jiugong Bagua. . Zhuge Bagua Village has a history of more than 600 years since it was built by the twenty-seventh grand lion of Zhuge Liang, Sun Zhuge, in the middle and late Yuan dynasty. Despite the migration and personnel metabolism, the overall structure has not changed dramatically so far. Spectacle. The depth of its connotation is amazing.

Zhuge Village is low in the northwest, backed by mountains and facing the flowing water, which is the "power of heaven and earth" pursued by the situation sect. In addition, Zhuge Village is surrounded by eight hills. The hills seem to be connected to each other, and the eight directions that resemble gossip have become outer gossips. The buildings in the village are like clouds, the houses are tall and scattered, and the traffic in the roadway echoes from all directions. Zhongchi is located in the center of the village, resembling a picture of Tai Chi Yin and Yang, with eight alleys radiating outward, forming inner gossip. There are hundreds of ancient buildings in the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the village, with carved beams and painted towers, in various shapes and beautiful styles. All these show that the village founders are good at choosing topography, combining the surrounding natural environment with the houses, wells and lanes to form a double gossip, which fully reflects the extraordinary Fengshui art and careful conception of Zhuge Dashi.

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, when wars were frequent, Zhuge Dashi also gave full consideration to defense issues when designing the layout of the village. The terrain of Zhuge Village is complex, the layout of houses and lanes is changeable, and it has the characteristics of a maze. This kind of nine palaces and eight trigrams layout fully reflects the purpose of defense. Anti-Japanese War period, the Japanese high road to pass under the Long Gang, without setting the discovery of this bustling village. During the Northern Expedition, the National Revolutionary Army and the warlord Sun Chuanfang fought fiercely for three days near Zhuge Village. The village was unharmed. Village building bustling, face face to back back Xiang Cheng, roadway aspect, it seems to break even, but it seems to pass close; the actual situation is uncertain and strangers rush village, often not their way into the room, not its diameter However, when the thieves come here, they often get caught with nothing.

What kind of Feng Shui layout does the Jinshang compound have

"House is good for people to prosper" is the Chinese people's pursuit of housing culture for thousands of years. Feng Shui is a landscape evaluation system for finding auspicious architectural sites, and it is one of the principles of ancient Chinese geographic location and layout.

Chinese-style buildings are mostly surrounded by buildings. Western-style buildings are just the opposite. The building is centered and the space surrounds the building. Chinese-style houses are mostly symmetrical, and the symmetrical design of space position is an organic imitation of human nature. This imitation can make humans feel pleasure and sentiment edification, and then produce aesthetic feelings that are beneficial to physical and mental health. Therefore, Chinese-style courtyards mostly adopt a frontal structure, and the main courtyard is high and low. The atrium is open, respectable and orderly, with distinct levels. The main room is high, the wing room is low and smaller than the main room. From the palace to the people, they all follow this pattern, and the Jinshang Residence also has these characteristics and has been retained for a long time.

In the Shanxi merchant house, the rooms that live in the upper feng shui are the first choice for the elders. The main hall of the main courtyard is not only higher than the wing room, but also has one or two more steps. The owner lives here, meets guests, and discusses matters, and the upper floor is generally Used for Buddhist halls and book collections; the upper courtyard is arranged by brothers, and the lower courtyard is arranged in the same pattern for the next generation; the south building is an embroidered building or a shaved room, the lower floor is for maids, and the upper floor is for maids, regardless of the front hall or the passing hall. , Both obviously retracted backwards, which was intended to embody the concept of "women bow their heads and retreat and cannot get ahead" in ethics. The ladies enter the pavilion at the age of 13 and can only go downstairs when they get married. The embroidered building is mostly connected to the dining room for easy dining. Regardless of the main wing, there are no steps in front of the front door, even if the steps are built, it is only one level to show that it is inferior to the owner. The servants, bodyguards, cooks, etc. live in the side courtyard, which is a row of low east-west houses built close to the wall of the main courtyard. The latches leading to the main courtyard are installed on the side of the main courtyard, so that the owner can go down at any time. People walk around where they live for inspections, but they are not allowed to enter and leave the main hospital casually. The concept of superiority and inferiority and hierarchy are all based on Feng Shui.

The house of Shanxi merchants looks like a castle, facing the street on three sides, surrounded by enclosed brick walls, more than three feet tall, with parapets and probe openings on the top. The gate sits west and faces east, with a top floor on top, and the middle gate is a cave-like doorway. The inside of the gate is a stone paved corridor, and there are guard walls on both sides of the wall. At the end, there is an ancestral hall, which is a temple-like structure. The branches in the compound are all in the layout of "houses are complete". The construction of houses in the east, west, north and south is called "houses." The local folks say "there is no east but no old wife, no west but no east, no deposit. Husband, only Beifang, there is a saying that there are no ministers. Although there are several symmetrical courtyards, their respective gates must be shifted aside. Feng Shui believes that door-to-door is mouth-to-mouth, and such big stuttering will cause disharmony between father and son, brothers and sisters, owe peace, and sister-in-law. Bogey ending. The courtyards are arranged strictly in accordance with the Dayou Year Method, which is also called the Jiuxing Fei Gong Method, which is one of the most commonly used Feng Shui laws in Yangzhai Fengshui, and is the theoretical basis of the Eight House School of Fengshui. According to this theory, the main house in the auspicious position can be used for the main family's living, and the bad position can be arranged as a warehouse or a latrine. Therefore, the north side is mostly used as a storage, and the southeast is used to build a toilet .

The famous Qiao Family Courtyard consists of six courtyards, with three courtyards in the north and south. The Eight Diagrams of the North Third Courtyard are arranged in reverse rotation, from Zhen Gua (East), Kan Gua (North), and Qian Gua (Northwest) are arranged counterclockwise and counterclockwise from the east to the northwest. Southeast), Li Gua (south), Kun Gua (southwest) were built in sequence from southeast to southwest, and finally meet in Dui Gua (True West). Why build six courtyards? The upper and lower sides are called "Liu He", which means perfection. In addition, the six and the "Lu" are homophonic, and there is an auspicious metaphor, that is, "Six-six Dashun". In addition, the Sixth Court also has the "Six Yaos" encyclical, which combines the Eight Diagrams with the Six Yaos to account for the full range of Feng Shui.

The courtyards built in Pingchuan are all centered on the east and west roads and are laid out on both sides. According to the feng shui theory of “East Qinglong, West White Tiger, let the Qinglong go three points higher than the white tiger”, the bright buildings above the gates are just like feng shui. They are all very tall, and the inner courtyard is gradually raised from west to east.

In order to comply with the Feng Shui principle of high north and low south, the tallest buildings in the courtyard are all built at the north end. The Cao’s compound was built facing the mountains. For this reason, three “sacrifice pavilions” symbolizing pigs, cows and sheep were added to the three main buildings at the north end to deter Nanshan and match the river to the east. Fortune is like the East China Sea, and longevity is the treasure of Nanshan. Jingshan is the feng shui mountain of the Forbidden City. Five pavilions were built on top of it. However, the Cao family of Shanxi merchants also had to build three pavilions.

Different from Qiao's Courtyard, Qu's Courtyard, Cao's Courtyard, and Chang's Courtyard, which were built in Pingchuan, the Wang's Courtyard is built on a slope and consists of two parts: Gaojiaya and Hongmenbao facing east and west. The appearance is based on the mountain, and changes with the shape. The courtyards are stacked on multiple floors, and they are scattered. Inside, the cave dwellings and tiled houses are intertwined with each other, elegantly decorated and rich in connotation. Even though they are built on the slopes, they still have to be surrounded by tall courtyards. The large and small courtyards are both perfect and independent. Similar examples include the Zhang Family Courtyard in Yangquan, the Shijia Courtyard in Pingding, the Shuai Family Courtyard in Fenxi, and the commercial houses around Qikou.

Another feature of Jinshang’s residences is that there are many different types of shadow walls. Zhaobi Yingbi is a Feng Shui wall.

On the wall opposite to the gate of the Qiao’s compound, there is a carefully crafted brick carving "Baishou Picture". The hundred "shou" characters on the Baishou Picture have been abstractly deduced into symbolic patterns, which are said to come from Shanxi merchants. The son-in-law of the representative Qiao Zhiyong, also known as the handwriting of Chang Zanchun, a famous calligrapher in Shanxi. What is the value of his calligraphy, but the two-part pair of the wall threat is quite worthy of consideration. "Destroy reason; build morality and be able to write", and Yinge means "fulfilment". There are also three-sided brick screen walls in the Qiao Family Courtyard: one is the "Turtle Back Han Brocade" with traditional patterns, which obviously means longevity like the year of the tortoise; the other is Zhao Tieshan's calligraphy wall, which is divided into the main text and signed by Wei Kai. The copy is from Southern Song Dynasty Lu Zuqian's "Provincial Admonitions", which aims to warn family members to be self-disciplined and guarded by themselves; there is also a picture wall of Fude Temple, which is a set of relief patterns with auspicious phoenix trees, pine trees, and sika deer. , Shoushan Stone, etc., Fude Temple is the land temple, Fude takes the meaning of Nafu's virtue.

The Chang's compound has the largest number of shadow walls, as many as ninety-nine and eighty-one, including eight zhaobi, thirteen shadow walls, thirty-two flower walls, twenty-eight wall hangings, and flower walls belong to the first category of shadow walls. There is also a "Hundred Shou Wall" in his ancestral hall with 240 seals of longevity embedded in it. The homophonic "Shou Two Hundred and Forty Crosses" is the homonym "Shou Two Hundred and Forty Only". The other fine products include family motto wall, plucking weed wall, three star wall, deer hebi, unicorn jar, temple jar, four season wall, landscape wall and so on.

Feng Shui pays attention to air guidance. In the "Water Dragon Scripture", there is a saying that "go straight to hurt people". Qi cannot go straight to the hall or bedroom, otherwise it will be unlucky. The shadow wall has the function of slowing down the airflow, and it is in line with the Feng Shui principle of "the song is sentimental". At the same time, it plays the role of slowing down the rushing airflow from howling, and harmonizes with the air in the house. This is the so-called "Qi" in Feng Shui. The saying goes. Illuminating the wall can block the line of sight, avoid the rush of air, and keep the air smooth, so it is not the same, it is very important. In addition, there are Shanxi merchants' houses in the inner and outer courtyards of the pass-through hall, where the surgical screens are often placed, and its function is also equivalent to illuminating the wall.

How "Dejuquan" became "Quanjude"

The well-known "Quanjude" believes that every one of us has heard of it, but it is not always clear how the name came about.

When Quanjude's founder Yang Quanren first arrived in Beijing, he traded raw chickens and ducks in Roushi Street outside Qianmen, and his business became more prosperous. Every day he goes to the meat market to set up a stall to sell chickens and ducks, passing through a dried fruit shop called "Dejuquan". Although the shop's signs are eye-catching, business is declining.

In the third year of Tongzhi (1864), the shop was on the verge of closing down. The shrewd Yang Quanren seized this opportunity and took out his savings for many years and bought the "Dejuquan" store. With my own shop, what brand name should I start with? Yang Quanren invited a Feng Shui gentleman to discuss it. The Feng Shui gentleman circled the shop twice and said: "You are really a treasure of feng shui! Look at the two small alleys on both sides of this shop, like two sedan poles. In the future, if you build a building, it will be the same. Dingba lifts the big sedan, the future is limitless!" Mr. Feng Shui said again: "However, this shop used to be very unlucky and hard to get rid of. Unless the old name of'Dejuquan' is reversed, it is called'Quanjude'. , Can rush his bad luck and embark on a smooth road." Mr. Feng Shui said, Yang Quanren smiled openly. The name "Quanjude" is exactly what he wants. Firstly, his name has the word "quan", and secondly, "Jude" means gathering virtues, and you can advertise that you are doing business and respecting virtues. So he named the shop "Quanjude", which has been handed down to this day due to its well-organized management.

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