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 | | An Asian concept for success | | |
Feng Shui – increase your health and wealth
Asia today is a dynamic, high-growth region with economic powerhouses humming towards modernity at a very rapid pace. Our world is in the midst of the age of globalisation, internationalisation or even ‘internetisation’. Yet, countries are not homogenous and there are traits of regionalism with local customs and taboos to be found in all parts of the globe.
Outsiders coming across regional differences can either chose to ignore or dismiss them as something strange, or they can learn to understand them and profit from them in their lives. |
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One of the principles of an ancient Chinese practice is Feng Shui, which is prevalent in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. To most Westerners, Feng Shui seems to be an odd and peculiar practice. It is classified as a mere belief in the supernatural – the ‘hokus pokus’ of the East. Nevertheless, by taking a closer look at the history and some examples and implications of Feng Shui, you could argue that Feng Shui will successfully continue to spread beyond its dominant base in Asia. Entrepreneurs within and outside Asia now have the possibility to develop an originally local custom into a prosperous international business.
Feng Shui is literally translated from the Chinese characters meaning ‘wind’ and ‘water’. The collective significance of the name is not certain, though it has been interpreted as the ‘collective energy of water and dispersing energy of wind’, symbolising the ebb and flow of events in your life. Feng Shui developed over two to five thousand years ago in China as a system of how to survive and excel in harmony with nature. The ancient Chinese saw a link between man and the landscape after years of observing that some surroundings were better, luckier or even more blessed than others. |
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The door should face the south
One of the most basic rules of Feng Shui and of building in general in China, is that the door should face south. To a westerner this might sound irregular but there are several logical reasons for this. In China cold winds have always blown from the north, possibly it is this wind the ‘feng’ refers to, which is one of the things that the Chinese feel compelled to turn their backs to when constructing a building.
Furthermore, China was invaded and occupied by Mongolian warriors at several occasions which might also have contributed to the negative feeling about what comes from the north. Flooding of the Yellow River is one more ‘evil’ that must be prevented if possible. The term ‘Shui’ could be these very floods which were avoided by building a house half way up a hill.
The Chinese thus took much caution in choosing where to build houses, cities, and tombs. This was a crucial decision for survival in an agricultural community largely affected by the East Asian monsoon climate. |
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Feng Shui influences health and wealth
Traditionally, Feng Shui concepts were passed on orally among an elite group of men known as geomancers or ‘feng shui xian sheng’. These men consulted the upper class, the emperor and his men, when palaces and tombs were built and when new cities and capitals were planned. An early Chinese geomancer described Feng Shui as a mystical combination of Chinese philosophical, religious, astrological, cosmological, mathematical and geographical concepts. Feng Shui thus developed from originally being an art of logical placement.
Taoist philosophies of nature can be traced in Feng Shui: these include the Yin-Yang theory, the Five Elements Theory and the triagrams of the Yi-Jing. In Taoist belief the ‘chi’ is the cosmic breath through which everything comes, exists and returns to. Feng Shui views the environment as an expression of chi being the force of chance and transformation. The aim of Feng Shui is to harmonise chi as to improve fortunes.
Currently, Feng Shuis is practiced most vigorously in Chinese communities outside of the People’s Republic. Feng Shui has officially been suppressed since 1949 in the People's Republic, as a socialistic perspective views Feng Shui as emphasising class stratification, and is just one more example of how the wealthy are able to increase their riches.
Feng Shui can be correlated to most aspects of daily life: ranging from our health to our wealth, in fact anything that is influenced by the environment that we live in. This has given rise to many stories of success and ill fate which we can either dismiss for being purely incidental or see Feng Shui from a wider perspective, that the ancient Chinese tradition has a very logical base that does affect our daily lives in a certain way.
In Asia Feng Shui has had a great influence upon urban planning, landscape architecture, building construction and interior design. The Forbidden City, the Great Wall and various imperial palaces show signs of changes for Feng Shui, which is an excellent example of its application. In the high growth areas, sometimes called ‘the tigers of Asia’, namely Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong few commercial buildings are designed or constructed without considering the issue of Feng Shui. |
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Feng Shui can be a success factor for the hotel business
One industry being particularly affected by Feng Shui is the hotel business. Placed in a highly competitive environment, the managers and hotel staff need to feel a sense of equilibrium in order to achieve success. Ironically, it is often the American and European general managers who have contributed to its spread. This can be attributed to the fact that they lived in the Far East and therefore accept many of the prevalent beliefs and traditions. Jean Wasser, a French manager of the ‘Pan Pacific’ in Singapore said: “In France, we do not call it Feng Shui, but we also have our customs and beliefs. Usually it is plain logic - the office, for example, must face a certain direction to avoid glare. So it’s a lot of common sense”.
In 1983, the Hyatt Regency was inspected by a Feng Shui master. It was found that the entrance doors were parallel to the road which is harmful as it allowed ominous spirits to enter the hotel. The doors were realigned and fountains were placed by the entrance. On the same day that these changes were made a jumbo jet stranded 380 passengers, prompting them all to check into the
Hyatt. From then on, 80% of the Hyatt’s 700 rooms have been booked, making the Hyatt one of Singapore's leading hotels. Coincidence or Feng Shui? |
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Feng Shui might increase your fortune
In modern times, the most determined followers of Feng Shui tradition belong to the following three groups: individuals hoping to increase their fortune or help their small business, merchants hoping to appease their Chinese clientele and employees, and architects building for Chinese clients.
Asia is the present dominant base for Feng Shui practices, yet it is increasingly gaining ground outside Asia. An area worth mentioning is Southern California, USA, where there are now about half a million Chinese in the region, out of which about 200,000 are from Taiwan. This group in particular is known for having more wealth than the average US population. The general public that seeks to do business with the Chinese community, especially the professionals in real estate and construction business, have started to incorporate Feng Shui principles in their daily lives. Many other examples of foreign firms starting to accept Feng Shui principles could be mentioned. The West is starting to accept the Asian business renaissance. To do business with the Asians, whether the Chinese, Japanese or Singaporeans, one must respect certain traditions and values, so that a solid relationship based on mutual trust, is facilitated. |
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| Perhaps it might seem very odd to rebuild a hotel so that the good spirit can enter, to place a fish tank near an exit so that the wealth of a building does not roll out, or to build a house on a slope to allow the chi to flow through, yet in Asia this art, called Feng Shui, is deeply rooted in almost all parts of the society. We might dismiss the ancient Chinese tradition for being too mystical but the fact of the matter is that belief counts, influencing lives and business contracts. In a region swept by fundamental economic and social changes, traditions such as Feng Shui can be very comforting. It lies in the human nature to constantly seek answers to the uncertainties of the world, and who is to say that there is no such thing as a mystical relation between man and the environment. |
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© September 2010 - European Publications GmbH
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