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The Tai He Men, or door to the first palace, was purposely placed in front of the Golden Water Stream. The gate had nine colonnades (nine symbolizes longevity), and the entire palace complex was decorated in auspicious colours and motifs. Dragons (yang symbols), pearls (yin symbols), quadrupeds and flowers were made and placed on the roofs and walls as symbols of good fortune and success.
The entire setting and planning of the Summer Palace was also based on feng shui precepts. The palace was built overlooking the Kun Ming Lake on a slope with the hills in the north as backing.
Although feng shui was "invented" in China almost 3,000 years ago, it spread to Japan and other southeastern regions more that a thousand years ago. In fact, Nara and Kyoto became capitals because of the good feng shui of the sites. Many Chinese and other Asians applied and still apply the art of feng shui to the interior and exteriors of buildings to achieve harmony and balance.
Geomancers advocate that everything in nature has life and animistic characteristics similar to the shape or type of animal resembled. For example, a hill that looks like a tortoise is a good site because people who live on it enjoy longevity just like the tortoise. And a mountain shaped like a dragon renders strength and cosmic breath to the inhabitants of that region. To the Chinese, everything contains living organisms and everything has a particular environment and condition in which it can best exist. Man is no different from other organisms; he has an optimal situation in which he can succeed to his fullest capacity. Chinese geomancy is the art of finding and providing such a situation, or living in tune with the natural setting and the energy of the earth, rather than fighting the laws of nature.
FENG SHUI IN PERSPECTIVE
As far as the twelfth century B.C., the Chinese had already established the order of the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire,and earth) which provided their concepts of the world. Everything in the world, they thought, was associated with one of these Five Elements.
By the second century A.D., the Chinese had already noted the principal constellations and the planets. They had also established the revolution of the planets around the sun. A century later, martial artists and Taoists developed the art of control of the body energy qi for the performance of supernatural feats. Many Taoists and Confucianists were also well-versed in geography, and were known as Di Li Jia or geographers. They were the first to start the form and compass schools of geomancy, and created the art of living in harmony with the earth and the heavens.
By the eight century, the first Chinese magnetic compass for seafaring was invented. During the same period, Chinese medicine based on the principles of yin and yang foods was used to treat illnesses, The magnetic compass was incorporated into a diviner’s board and became the luopan, which is the geomancer’s compass. By the ninth century, a compass was made for the siting of tombs, and in the twelfth century, another plate, the Inner Heaven Plate, was added to the luopan to divinate on the house of the living.
As you can see, China has had a rich cultural history. The discovery of the art of fengshui, though ancient, can still be used to guide us in building and furniture placement, even though the geography and climate of the part of the world we live in is different from China. Do we still have to orient our windows and doors to avoid the north wind blowing from Mongolia? Must we live near water to be successful? Moreover, must we hire a geomancer to tell us where and how to live?
Although some homeowners can afford to pay geomancers for their services, many cannot or are unable to find suitable feng shui experts to improve their dwellings. Many flat dwellers think they cannot benefit from fengshui because they are unable to shift their front doors or re-orient their dwellings. Some even choose to move to new flats that have better feng shui.
My aim in writing this book is to alleviate the fears shared by many flat and home dwellers, and to encourage them to place the interior elements in their homes according to geomantic principles, despite the fact that structural reorientation is impossible. Even though flat dwellers cannot control the external environment, they can control the internal usage of space. By locating the qi in their flats, and placing important activities in the qi areas, anyone can benefit from the revitalizing breath of the earth.
Despite the expertise and reliability of many feng shui experts, it is not advisable to blindly rely on feng shui to remedy all bad situations. For example, I was told that a man went through years of frustration because his geomancer advised him that he would enjoy rapid promotion if he drove up steps every evening on his return from work. (In Chinese, going “up the steps” is analogous for getting promoted.) It turns out that he man did not get the promotion he wished, but had to spend a great deal of money in the frequent of his tyres.
In another strange case, a man slept with a mirror under a cushion because his geomancer told him it would make him more intelligent. All the man learned, it seems, was that sleeping on a mirror gave him stiff neck!
It should also be mentioned that different geomancers have different approaches to geomancy, and that not all approaches can improve feng shui. In fact, the most important factor lies in the moral character of the person seeking advice. If he is evil or immoral, his good feng shui will not last.
 Dr. V. K. SAXENA
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