Feng shui, or geomancy, is just the same meaning with a different name. This subject has been widely acknowledged in our country for a long period of time, however it mainly stressed its focus on the environment of the tomb or graveyard (premises used by the dead body) and has very limited concern on human habitation (where the environment of the living person such as houses, apartments, offices, shops and factories). It is indeed a bias or misunderstanding to Feng Shui.

In the ancient Chinese society, though Feng Shui has a long history, people do not view it as an official subject but rather a religious or a belief. When I asked people whether they believe in Feng Shui, the answer was non-scientific and superstitious, thus believed Feng Shui reserachers were old-fashioned mind, and to some extreme, they believe some researchers were trying to make a profit by fooling the majority. It is indeed another misunderstanding to Feng Shui.

There are also some misunderstanding when applying the ancient doctrines into current environment. As one may notice the buildings and stuff in the past are quite different from those that in today, if the ancient doctrines did not adjusted or modified according to the modern situation, unreasonable or incorrect results and findings would follow. Some would apply fragmented religious theories or legendary stories to fulfill the discrepancies, yet it would lead to further superstition and misconception on Feng Shui.

When I was young, I was the apprentice of Master Yum Chi-Lam and was taught on Feng Shui, Good Date/Time Selection, Chinese Yi Jin, and Japanese Yi Jin, thus has been to Tibet to learn Buddhism, Taoism, and Charms. Master Yum Chi-Lam was the student of Master Tai Shu-Gun and Japanese Master Hideo Watanabe.

From mountains to mountains, rich houses and poor flats, books and diagrams, I had followed my teacher to practice Feng Shui, and has been studied on it for many years. It was discovered that Feng Shui isn’t non-pragmatic, non-scientific, or religiously superstitious; rather it contained its unique historical, theoretical, and functional philosophies and principles that could be a stand-alone and unique theory.

Subsequently I had chances to provide Feng Shui consultant services to HSBC, Hong Kong Jockey Club, government departments, celebrities and scholars from different countries, they all believed that Feng Shui isn’t superstitious at all; however, they believed there are some discrepancies (or has difficulties to integrate) between ancient Feng Shui doctrines and modern scientific theories which made it challenging to apply to the modern world.

Actually majority of the ancient doctrines or records focused on tomb or graveyard theories, and has very minimal concern to human habitation (the premises occupying or using by the living person). According to the predecessors, tomb or graveyard environment has indirect relationship with the living person (or mainly affects the future generations), and human habitation rather has direct relationship with the living person and the effects are noticeable.

Human should have positive, comfortable, or energetic feeling in a harmonize habitation, whereas negative, uncomfortable, or lethargic feeling in a disharmonize environment. It may due to lighting problem, ventilation problem, sound problem, color problem, etc. The combination of these rules and principles is indeed a part of Feng Shui philosophy.

In ancient China, Feng Shui’s theory was developed from astronomy, geology, potamology, meteorological, as well as the doctrine of five elements, etc. It is however sometimes inapplicable to the modern environment. Given this concern, I had developed some new Feng Shui theories or findings for human habitation such as apartments, houses, shops and factories (it is not applicable to tomb or graveyard environment), although it isn’t innovative it is derived from our predecessors’ philosophies with the amalgamation of today modern environment.

David Lung King-Chuen (November 2009)