1. What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui, also known as Kanyu, Tuzhai, Qingnang, Landscape Technique, etc., is an important category of magic in ancient Chinese culture. The ancient "Burial Sutra" written by Guo Pu, a native of Jin Dynasty, said: "Qi will disperse when it rides on the wind, and it will stop when it is bounded by water. The ancients gathered it to prevent it from dispersing, and moved it to stop it, so it is called Feng Shui. The method of Feng Shui is to get water as the top priority. "Feng Shui has a long history and has many sects. Today, we use a scientific attitude to eliminate the superstitious and metaphysical elements, and Feng Shui is actually an ancient environmental science and field theory. It is the study of the relationship between man and nature. The theoretical system based on ancient Feng Shui is "the unity of nature and man" and pursues the harmony between man and nature. This philosophical concept has long influenced people's ideology and lifestyle, resulting in our nation's advocating nature.
When ancient Feng Shui masters chose a living environment, they often believed that a place that is “surrounded by mountains and water” and “harbors wind and gathers energy” is the best. The place "surrounded by mountains and rivers" is directly moistened by the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers. It is an ideal choice from the perspective of magnetic field science, aesthetics and psychology. Ancient scholars lived in seclusion in forests and ravines, and wealthy residents of developed countries moved to the mountains and rivers outside the city. This has impressed us deeply in Feng Shui. However, there are too few places surrounded by beautiful mountains and beautiful waters. Residential areas in cities are often located between buildings, roads, and factories. Under such conditions, we have to think more from the perspective of "hiding wind and gathering qi". In ancient Feng Shui, site selection is a very complicated matter. Not only are there many requirements, but there are also differences and disagreements among various Feng Shui schools. The most important point is that, strictly speaking, everyone’s ideal Feng Shui model is different. It's different. It's not that all "good places" will prosper and "all bad places" will fail. Here we only talk about the most basic common sense of site selection in a general sense.
The essence of Feng Shui is yin and yang. The original meaning of the word Feng Shui created by Guo Pu refers to the movement and stillness of the dragon. It talks about the relative relationship between yin and yang and the intercourse between yin and yang. When the dragon moves, it will roar and generate wind, and the wind will take the initiative; when the dragon stops, it will be surrounded by sand and water, and the water will be calm. The meaning of Feng Shui is to choose a place where the dragon moves in a controlled manner, and use it through architectural means to ride on the dragon's vitality and contain the strong Tang Qi.
The Origin and Development of Feng Shui
The formation of Chinese Feng Shui has a long history and can be traced back to ancient times.
In primitive society, although there was no theory of Feng Shui, people at that time had to "select a place to live" because of the survival challenges posed by the harsh natural environment and the importance of farming and pastoral society. Choose a place "near water and facing the sun" that is suitable for human reproduction and habitat. This is an adaptive choice. After entering civilized society, Feng Shui was immediately recorded in written records. For example, there are many records about house divination in oracle bone inscriptions. It can be seen from a large number of oracle bone inscriptions and the Book of Songs excavated in later generations that the Chinese during the Shang and Zhou dynasties divided the land into different landforms such as mountains, ports, hills, plains, mausoleums, and hills, and divided the water areas into Sichuan, spring, river, stream, swamp, swamp, river, tuo, etc. At that time, the differences of the earth were classified in extremely detailed ways, which laid the foundation for the future development of "Phaseography". In the Book of Documents, the territory at that time was divided into Kyushu based on rivers and mountains. This is also the origin of the name "Kyushu" in China later. In the "Book of Rites of Zhou", words like "Use the method of adapting to the soil, manage the names and objects of the ten and two soils, use the people's houses and remove their interests and disadvantages, use the people of Fu, use the birds and beasts, and use the grass and trees." began to appear. There is a saying of "matching people's houses", and there is a knowledge system of "Tu Yifa" to match the land. "Book of Yizhou" records that "the earth is suitable for the weather, and all things are governed." It can be seen that the word "earth" echoes the weather, and observing the earth with the sky is the rule for all things at that time, and it is also the method of governing things. Therefore, it became Feng Shui in later generations. The basis of the technique. During the Zhou Dynasty, when King Wu of Zhou built Luoyi, he ordered the Duke of Zhou to look after the land. "Shangshu" records that "when the Duke of Zhao was in charge of the house, the Duke of Zhou went to the camp to form the Zhou Dynasty and the envoys came to tell the divination." It can be seen that the people of the Zhou Dynasty believed in divination, and the Duke of Zhou was also a prime minister. Master.
During the Warring States Period and Pre-Qin Dynasty, various academic disciplines arose. With the development and popularity of the Book of Changes and the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theories, academic ideas led by "looking up at astronomy and looking down at geography" began to be established. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he not only inherited the previous concept of "Tu Yi" but became more specific, and at the same time began to have the concept of "Qi". From the "Book of Jin" we know that "during the time of the First Emperor, those who looked at the Qi said, 'Five hundred years from now, there will be the Qi of the Emperor in Jinling.' So the First Emperor traveled east to suppress it, changed the name of the area to Mooling, and cut the northern mountain to eliminate its power.
"At that time, there was a saying of "qi gaozhi", which shows that there were already professional workers in the Feng Shui industry. According to Volume 95 of "Taiping Huanyu Ji", there was a mountain in Changshui County in the Qin Dynasty (south of today's Jiaxing County, Zhejiang Province). Qin Shihuang heard the sorcerer say that there was a kingly spirit on the mountain, so he sent a group of death row prisoners to dig the mountain. The prisoners couldn't bear the hard work and dispersed.
The Afang Palace built by Qin Shihuang covers an area of ??nearly 300 miles. The palace annexes are spread across the valley, with Nanshan as the palace gate and Fanchuan as the pool. The front hall of Afang can seat nearly ten thousand people. The first royal family used 700,000 people to hollow out Lishan Mountain and penetrate the three layers of soil. The scale is huge. It is truly unprecedented. There is also the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, which covers a vast area. The implementation of these two major projects shows that the level of land surveying in the Qin Dynasty was very high. From this, it is not difficult to appreciate the superb geographical survey technology of the Qin Dynasty. It is attributed to the development of the art of fortune-telling. In fact, as early as the pre-Qin period, there was the activity of photographing residences. On the one hand, it was the residence of the living people, and on the other hand, it was the cemetery of the deceased people. "The Book of History" records that "the king was in Feng, and he wanted to build a house in the city. Get married first. "This is Xiangyang's house. "The Book of Filial Piety" records that "it was discovered by divining the signs of his house. "This is the house of Xiangyin, and the location was determined by divination.
In the Western Han Dynasty, the art of Xiangyin became even more popular. Sima Qian's "Historical Records" records that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty gathered to fortune tell and asked someone who he could marry. No, the Kanyu family said no. At this time, the Kanyu family was proficient in astronomy and geography. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, people began to pay attention to funerals, which led to the rise of the concept of Feng Shui in Wang Chong's "Lunheng". The taboos on funerals are described in detail. People in the Eastern Han Dynasty paid great attention to the living environment. The "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" mentioned that "the envoys have good land and a wide house, with mountains on their backs and streams, surrounded by ditches and ponds, surrounded by bamboos and trees, with gardens in front and orchards behind them." The principles of home furnishing have become the basic theory of Yangzhai in later generations. In the Han Dynasty, Fengshui works such as "Kanyu Golden Chamber", "Palace and House Terrain", "Migration Law" and "Pictures of Houses" also appeared, marking the development of Fengshui. A preliminary theoretical summary and conclusion has been made.
In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, many Feng Shui masters appeared in China, the most famous of which was Guo Pu. His "Book of Burial" transformed Feng Shui from the traditional practice. Drawing out the art of phase and earth, he defined Feng Shui and comprehensively constructed the theory of Feng Shui, laying the foundation for Feng Shui in later generations. The method of Feng Shui he initiated, "getting water is the first priority, hiding wind is second" has been passed down for 1,700 years. It has stood firm for more than a hundred years and is even more shining today. The Chinese people are accustomed to call Guo Pu the originator of Feng Shui.
The Sui Dynasty did not believe in Feng Shui, but it made a difference. Xiao Ji, a famous physiognomist, is the author of such classics as "Physical and Geographical Records", "Zhao Jing", "Burial Sutra", and "Five Elements of Great Meanings". He is admired by future generations. He once chose auspicious places for the empress, and she became the emperor. When listening to his advice, he predicted that the Sui Dynasty would not be lucky for long. When Yang Gongren, the prime minister of the Sui Dynasty, moved his ancestral tomb, he invited five or six groups of Feng Shui masters to come to the site. One of them, Shu Chuo, guessed what was underground and was heavily rewarded. . It can be seen that Feng Shui was still popular at that time.
The Tang Dynasty was a rare heyday in Chinese history, and various academics also flourished. At the same time, it further promoted the development of Feng Shui theory and formed a relatively complete theoretical system. At that time, most literate people understood Feng Shui, and a large number of famous masters emerged. Among them, Yang Junsong, a Feng Shui master from Jiangxi, played a comprehensive role in promoting Feng Shui practice among the people. From then on, it spread throughout the vast land of China. Palaces, villages, and tombs were all influenced by Feng Shui theory to varying degrees. The famous Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also believed in Feng Shui. There were many records of Feng Shui in "Datang Xinyu" and "Taiping Guangji". Taoist priests at that time also knew a lot about Feng Shui. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a "Si Tianjian" that specialized in observing astronomical phenomena, so the officials in the Si Tianjian must understand Feng Shui. Yang Junsong served in Si Tianjian. Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty named him a national preceptor, and his official rank was Doctor Jin Ziguanglu. , specializing in the geographical affairs of Lingtai, it can be seen that the Feng Shui of the Tang Dynasty was not only believed by the people, but also valued by the court. Yang Junsong later took the palace Feng Shui books and spread them throughout Jiangxi. The territory expanded to the Western Regions, and the "Zhao Jing" and "Yin Yang Shu" were found in the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, which shows that the concept of Feng Shui spread far to the northwest.
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms followed the Tang Dynasty. The concept of Feng Shui flourished in the ancient times, and emperors of all dynasties believed in Feng Shui. By the late Zhou Dynasty, many superstitious colors were added to Feng Shui, making it difficult for the world to distinguish between true and false.
In the Song Dynasty, famous Yi scholars such as Chen Tuan, Shao Kangjie, Zhu Xi, and Cai Yuanding explained and identified Feng Shui, and some Feng Shui works were published one after another. As a result, Jiangxi Xingfa School and Fujian Lifa School emerged. Juche's Feng Shui theoretical system.
Song Huizong believed in Feng Shui. He originally had no children, but a sorcerer told him that if he raised the terrain in the northwest corner of the capital several times, he would be able to have a son. Therefore, he believed more in Feng Shui and ordered people to choose a precious land to build the "Shangqing Baozhuan Palace". As a result, the people wasted money, the treasury was empty, and the regime declined. There were many Feng Shui masters in the Song Dynasty. Lai Wenjun, Chen Tuan, Xu Renwang, Wu Jingluan, Fu Botong, Cai Yuanding, etc. are all famous.
When Zhu Yuanzhang in the Ming Dynasty established Jinling as his capital, he attached great importance to Feng Shui. Most of the mountains outside the city faced the city, giving the appearance of an arch. Only Niushou Mountain and Huashan Mountain faced away from the city wall. Zhu Yuanzhang was displeased and sent The people beat Niushou Mountain with a hundred sticks, dug a hole in the nose of the cow and passed it with an iron rope, turning Niushou Mountain inward. At the same time, they cut down the Huashan Mountain extensively and made the mountain bald and yellow. When Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing, it was built entirely in accordance with the Feng Shui concept. Ming Chengzu was an emperor who believed deeply in Feng Shui, which also led to people all paying attention to Feng Shui. Feng Shui became a very important criterion in the lives of Ming Dynasty people. The Ming Tombs, a famous tourist attraction in Beijing, was chosen by Feng Shui master Liao Junqing and recommended to Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, and it became the mausoleum area of ??the Ming Dynasty emperor. There was also a legendary figure Liu Bowen in the Ming Dynasty. According to folklore, he was good at Feng Shui. It is said that Jinling, the capital, was the place where he met. There is a book "Kanyu Manxing" named after him.
In the Qing Dynasty, there was a Si Tianjian, who was not only responsible for observing the sky and recording astronomy, but also responsible for the construction of mausoleums, because the emperors of the Qing Dynasty believed in Feng Shui and attached great importance to the location of the mausoleums. The Eastern Tomb of the Qing Dynasty is 125 kilometers long from north to south and 26 kilometers wide from east to west. It spans three suburban counties of Beijing and has a total area of ??2,500 square kilometers. It is an extremely large imperial cemetery. This shows that the emperors of the Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the feng shui of the tombs. The Forbidden City, the Forbidden City, which has been completely preserved to this day, is a classic masterpiece built strictly in accordance with Feng Shui. Its majestic momentum has conquered countless people. The Qing Dynasty also had a Imperial Preceptor Office, with more than 400 Imperial Preceptors. Because these imperial advisors received generous salaries, they devoted their lives to serving the dynasty and the emperor. The tasks of the Imperial Prefecture are: first, to find good Feng Shui treasures for the dynasty and arrange how to use them; second, to destroy the geographical Feng Shui of the people so that no one dares to rebel against the imperial court and cannot seize the throne. This is an example of the rulers of the feudal dynasty using the invisible science of geography and Feng Shui as their ruling tool.
Throughout history, the Pre-Qin Dynasty was the gestation period of Feng Shui theory, the Song Dynasty was the period when it was popular, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties were the periods of proliferation.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, through the collection and arrangement of various Feng Shui books and the continuous research of scholars, the Feng Shui theory was quite complete. The survey activities of Feng Shui masters have spread to various places, from imperial palaces to urban and rural residences. From the Republic of China to the present, scholars have mainly re-evaluated and studied the traditional Chinese Feng Shui culture. In the last century, Feng Shui had a large market in old China. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum of the founding father Sun Yat-sen was determined after repeated surveys by the famous Xuan Kong School Feng Shui master Shen Zhurong. After liberation, Feng Shui theory suffered a heavy blow, but it is still being used in practice. After the 1970s, there was an upsurge in studying Chinese Feng Shui in Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, and more and more foreigners began to use Feng Shui theory to guide their lives. In recent years, with the international emphasis on Feng Shui and its applicability, this ancient discipline has become full of vitality. Former US Presidents Bush and Clinton both asked Chinese Feng Shui masters for consultation when purchasing new homes, which shows the charm of Chinese Feng Shui culture.
Contemporary Feng Shui is in an unprecedented period of integration and renewal. In order to make Feng Shui better benefit mankind, a large number of scholars are working tirelessly on research, taking its essence and discarding its dross and combining it with modern science. Feng Shui has made scientific evaluation and new interpretation and development. Feng Shui is lifting its mysterious veil and entering modern people's lives.