Traditional Chinese - Feng Shui: An Evolutionary/Ecological Perspective

Authors:

Han, Ke-Tsung

Source:

Journal of Cultural Geography; Fall/Winter2001, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p75, 22p, 1 Diagram

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*FOLKLORE *HUMAN settlements

Abstract:

Investigates the usefulness of Feng Shui in relation to the evolutionary theory of human habitat selection.Implication of Feng Shui for human welfare; Combination of natural and cultural considerations; Promotion of resource utilization and cultural values.

Full Text Word Count:

7958

ISSN:

08873631

Accession Number:

7082657

Database:

Academic Search Complete

HTML Full Text

Traditional Chinese Site Selection-Feng Shui: An Evolutionary/ Ecological Perspective

INTRODUCTION

ABSTRACT. Feng Shui has endured as an art of site selection in
East Asia for more than 3,000 years and still remains popular in
Chinese societies. It may have positive values for human welfare.
This paper argues that Feng Shui has evolutionary and ecological
values for selecting optimal human habitations. Certain landscape
features signal a suitable habitat that can offer the necessities
of life with low risks. Information encouraging exploration
identified by evolutionary theory can also be found in an ideal
Feng Shui location. Feng Shui integrates both natural and
cultural considerations to pursue a harmony and balance between
people and nature as well as among people. It not only promotes a
close understanding of, and interdependence between, the
environment and people but also enforces prudent behavior in
terms of resource utilization and cultural values. Feng Shui has
been profoundly interwoven with many aspects of Chinese life and
has significantly contributed to a stable and sustainable
agricultural civilization. Through objective examination, the
usefulness and validity of Feng Shui can be understood. Feng
Shui's folk wisdom, which is not yet fully understood, probably
is not pure superstition. A synthesis of ancient eastern and
modern western perspectives might provide a more comprehensive
understanding of landscapes.

Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese philosophy and technology of site selection, which finds ideal or suitable locations for dwellers, either the living or the dead (Han and Sinha 1996). Based upon centuries of observing and experiencing their surroundings, the ancient Chinese developed unique ways of interacting with the natural environment harmoniously in order to survive. Feng Shui originated at least 3,000 years ago in the Western Chou Dynasty (1100–771 B.C.) (Xu 1990), while written records about Feng Shut can be traced back as early as the late Ch'in Dynasty (879–221 B.C.) (Hu 1994). FengShui subsumes the techniques and philosophies of optimum site selection, which simultaneously consider both natural and cultural elements (Han 1994; Hu 1994). It deals with many characteristics, including physical, ecological, spatial, and temporal, as well as spiritual, psychological, religious, and sociological (Xu 1998). The ultimate goal of Feng Shui is to achieve a harmonious and balanced interaction with the environment, other people, and the cosmos (Han 1994; Yu 1994; Xu 1998). The Chinese continue to believe that harmonious and balanced lives will bring good luck. Therefore, as a vehicle of pursuing harmony, Feng Shui continues to be widely practiced in societies influenced by Chinese culture, such as Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Korea (Yu 1994).

Because of its oversimplified documentation and a lack of understanding, as well as a lack of systematic research, both Westerners and Chinese have regarded Feng Shui as superstition. However, viewing anything that is incompletely understood as superstition is essentially not scientific (Xu 1990); it is not an appropriate way to find truth and reality. Since Feng Shui has endured as an art of site selection in East Asia for more than 3,000 years and remains popular today even in Western countries (Rossbach 1983), it may have positive values for human well-being in a pragmatic rather than a strictly superstitious way. A close investigation of Feng Shui can shed new light on understanding human habitat selection.

Selecting proper places in which to live is a fundamental and necessary activity for both animals and humans (Orians and Heerwagen 1992). Since site selection plays such an important role in human survival, reproduction, and welfare, researchers have proposed theories to explain human habitat selection. One of these theories—evolutionary theory, which combines several researchers' contributions (e.g. Appleton 1975; Balling and Falk 1982; Ulrich 1983; Orians and Heerwagen 1992)—has received increasing attention. In brief, evolutionary theory postulates, “natural selection should have favored individuals who were motivated to explore and settle in environments likely to afford the necessities of life but to avoid environments with poorer resources or posing higher risks” (Orians and Heerwagen 1992, 557). The preferred environments should be characterized by certain spatial configurations and physical features indicating the necessary resources and low risks, which are crucial for human survival and reproductive success (Orians and Heerwagen 1992).

The spatial configurations and physical features identified by modern evolutionary researchers are similar to those described in FengShui centuries ago. Comparing these two methods of site selection may reveal the evolutionary components implied in Feng Shui.Since Feng Shui is such a complicated, integrated, and holistic doctrine of site selection, a thorough understanding of Feng Shui'svalue would involve examining every school of Feng Shui thought and their corresponding theories. This would require tremendous effort and could not be achieved by a single study. Therefore, the author will focus on one school of Feng Shui—Luan Tou (mountain peak)—and evolutionary theory as a starting point of systematic research. By so doing, the supernatural or mysterious aura long imputed to Feng Shui can be reduced. In the mean time, the author hopes that additional studies on Feng Shui can be inspired by this primary research.

FENG SHUI

Feng Shui was developed 3,000 years ago and gradually improved until the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618–905) (Hu 1994). Feng Shuiemphasizes the harmonious, mediated, and balanced relationship among people as well as between human and natural surroundings.Only one strategy can achieve and maintain this ideal situation: acquiring and keeping in balance sufficient Ch'i. Ch'i is a unique Chinese concept, which can be explained as an energy that cannot be seen, touched, tasted, or smelled. Ancient Chinese believed that Ch'i pervades every element in the cosmos and is the beginning of all life. Therefore, human beings, animals, plants, and nature are all equal and should coexist together in harmony as oneness (Han 1994; Yu 1994). Ch'i is blown away by wind and is accumulated by water.Thus, an ideal site would attract little wind and stand near the water. This is, in fact, where Feng Shui's name came from literally;Feng Shui means “wind and water.” Since Ch'i is invisible, using wind and water to locate Ch'i is important.

The practice of Feng Shui is complex and is generally applied by Feng Shui masters rather than laymen. The Feng Shui masters' judgments are intuitive and somewhat subjective, but two schools of Feng Shui theory can guide them. One is called Luan Tou (mountain peak), which is based on analyses of physical phenomena at a site, such as topography, vegetation, and climate. The other is Li Ch'i (arranging Ch'i), which emphasizes using a compass (Lou Pan) to judge proper site orientation and placement for settlements according to the residents' birthdays. Ancient Chinese believed that the specific year, date, and time of birth were closely related to a person's character and fate (Chiou and Krishnamurti, 1997). This school can calculate a perfect compass orientation for each individual's birth time, day, and year in order to maximize his or her harmony.

The Luan Ton School was developed earlier than Li Ch'i and therefore is regarded as the original model for Feng Shui (Xu 1990; Chiou and Krishnamurti 1997). A combined use of both schools is the most ideal approach. It may take years or even decades not only for a person to become a Feng Shui master but also for a master to find a proper site location for particular residents. Although Feng Shuiwas originated in Mainland China 3,000 years ago, the practice of Feng Shui is assumed to be universal and can be applied to any geographical setting (Skinner 1982; Xu 1990; Yu 1994).

Yin and Yang are two kinds of Ch'i with opposite characters. Yin, characterized as female, dark, void, or negative energy, is passive; while Yang, characterized as male, light, solid, or positive energy, is active. Therefore, only when Yin and Yang meet and stay in balance can life begin. Their continually complementary interaction creates an ideally harmonious location (Rossbach 1983; Xu 1997). WhenFeng Shui is applied to site selection, the ideal location is found behind Yin and in front of Yang. In terms of environmental features, stable mountains are Yin and flowing water is Yang. Together, they form a closed, united space. The interdependent landscape features of topography and hydrology indicate the desirability of a site for human habitation based on the maintenance and harmony of Ch'i.The best site is enclosed by many mountains and rivers, which not only prevent Ch'i from blowing away but also accumulate Ch'i.

An ideal Feng Shui site has the following features. A high mountain forming a backdrop site called Hsuan Wu (black turtle). A lower mountain to the right called Pai Hu (white tiger), and one to the left named Ch'ing Lung (blue dragon). The relatively flat grassland just in front of Hsuan Wu is termed Ming Tang. Its center, Hsueh, is the specific spot accumulating the most Ch'i of the entire site. A winding inward river flows in front of Ming Tang and separates it from the front hills of An Shan and Chao Shan. An Shan refers to the near front hill because it lies near the river and Ming Tang, while Chao Shan refers to the far front hill (Fig. 1).

This brief summary provides a general outline of an ideal Feng Shui location. A more detailed explanation of Feng Shui is presented below. This article focuses on the Luan Tou (mountain peak) School because it is the original model of Feng Shui and its components are manifested primarily in natural phenomena (Han 1994; Yu 1994). It is reasonable and meaningful to compare the landscape compositions of Feng Shui location with those that modern habitat selection theory suggests are favored by human evolution.