Feng Shui is also known as geomancy. Wind and water represent natural events and their changes; kan means high place (the way of heaven) and jiao means low place (the way of the earth), and are used to indicate changes in the terrain and the natural environment. Feng Shui is thus the study of the relationship between man and the natural environment, with the aim of achieving harmony between man and nature, and of avoiding bad luck.
The concept of feng shui has regained attention in today’s society for its unique appearance and significance. But for the present purpose, the study of feng shui is not the ultimate goal in itself, nor is it the primary motivation for delineating the extent to which feng shui concepts have merit. The reason for this is that the traditional city has been deeply imprinted with the concept of feng shui over thousands of years of development, and in order to give a thorough account of traditional urban form, the concept of feng shui cannot be ignored or avoided.
I. The concept of feng shui and the choice of city site
In the history of human civilisation, ancient Chinese urban construction is one of the longest-running, distinctive and stable, and highly adaptable urban building systems. It has lasted for thousands of years without interruption, and has developed its own unique planning style and architectural culture. Its holistic approach to planning and its simple and effective problem-solving methods also reflect the richness of traditional Chinese culture, and in many ways conform to the ideals of modern urban planning, and thus have a high status in the history of urban construction worldwide. Although it is difficult to generalise about the site selection and planning patterns of ancient Chinese cities due to the differences in time and space and their nature, the most typical capitals and some important cities in terms of planning
The rational pursuit of the concept of the “unity of heaven and man” and the “feng shui concept” are undoubtedly the most basic elements of the city’s composition and its variant themes. The rational pursuit of the concept of the ‘unity of heaven and man’ and the focus on ‘feng shui’ are undoubtedly among the most fundamental features.
The choice of a city site is indispensable for the construction and development of a city, and the site, as the location of the city and its basic activity space, is closely related to the future development of the city. The site of the city, as the location of the city and its basic space for activities, has been regarded by rulers since ancient times as an ‘important matter for the state’, and they did not dare to neglect it. As early as the oracle bone inscriptions The city’s future development has been regarded by rulers as an ‘important matter for the state’ since ancient times. The Duke of Zhou, when presiding over the construction of the capital of Luo, also carried out a survey of the earth in advance, identifying the right place and the right direction. I have divined the location of the city of Luo. I divined the water of Heshuo and the water of Lishui, and I divined the water of Jianshui and the water of Marketplace to the east and the water of Marketplace to the west, and I divined the water of Marketplace to the east, and I also divined the food of Luo. (“Shang Shu – Luo Jiao”)
In fact, before building a city, all Chinese dynasties had to carefully select the site of the city before delineating the area and planning the design, which is the Feng Shui concept of In fact, before building a city, all Chinese dynasties had to choose the site carefully, before delineating the area and planning the design, which is the Feng Shui concept of ‘xiangtu qangshi’, in which particular attention was paid to the ‘qi luck’ or ‘situation’ of the city in its general environment. This is the most distinctive part of ancient Chinese city site selection, or the most obvious point of difference between Eastern and Western city site selection. This can be understood in three broad ways The ‘situation’, or ‘qi luck’, should be given special attention.
Feng Shui concepts and urban planning
In the Warring States period, Wu Zixu’s principle of “to look at the earth and taste the water, and to follow the laws of the sky and the earth” emerged. In the Warring States period, Wu Zi-xu’s principle of building cities in accordance with the laws of the sky and the earth was introduced, meaning that the earth and mountains were always connected to the sun, moon and stars in the sky. This idea was further developed by Dong Zhongshu in the Western Han Dynasty into the doctrine of “Heavenly Induction”, “Heaven is the ancestor of all things. Therefore, it is the ancestor of all living things. It is the source of all things, the source of the sun, the moon, the wind and the rain, the source of the harmony, the source of yin and yang, the source of heat and cold. (In the Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian dedicated a book to the “Heavenly Officials” to discuss the signs of the sun, moon and stars, with the heavenly star in the middle palace as the pivot, complemented by the three dukes, their sons, their concubines and harems, as well as the inner palace, the outer offices, and the scholars, farmers and industrialists, forming a well-ordered heavenly kingdom and corresponding to the earthly society on earth, As the saying goes, “The stars are arranged in a series, their bodies are born on earth, their essence is formed in the sky, and they are arranged in a series, each in its own way. In the wild they are like things, in the dynasty like officials, and in men like things.” (In the practice of urban construction, ancient cities were generally based on the theoretical premise of the interconnection of heaven and man and the induction of heaven and man, and through the specific techniques of feng shui, such as geomancy and yin and yang, in order to achieve the strong effect of “the unity of heaven and man”.
Based on the traditional theories of feng shui (earth) and cosmic astrology (sky), the art of geomancy is a superstitious theory of land surveying, and is the product of rich astronomical observations and geographic research in ancient times and the use of cosmic astrology by the emperor for political purposes. The concept of feng shui as a guide to the construction of city walls is not only documented in historical books, but has also been studied by many modern scholars. According to the Wu-Yue Spring and Autumn Annals, Wu Zixu was ordered by the king of Wu to build the capital ‘to look at the earth and taste the water, to look at the sky and the earth, and to build a large city with a circumference of seventy miles. The eight gates of the land were designed to resemble the eight winds of the sky; the eight gates of the water were designed to resemble the eight congregations of the earth.” In the first year of Emperor Hui’s reign, the outer city of Chang’an was built in the Han dynasty, with “the southern part of the city in the shape of a south dou and the northern part in the shape of a north dou, which is what people call the Han capital city to this day.” The capital city of Yuan is located slightly north of present-day Beijing. According to Yu Ji, the Temple of the City of Metropolis, “In the third year of the Yuan Dynasty, the year was in Dingmao, with the auspiciousness of the first month of Dingwei, the city of Metropolis began to set up the imperial court, the temple, the community, the government, the library, in order to live in the people, to identify the correct position, well in order, for the future generations of the industry”, “its inner and outer city system, and the palace, the public house, and the system of Liu Bingzhong’s rate was based on geographical meridians and latitudes, with the king’s qi as the main focus.” Liu Bingzhong was the original
Liu Bingzhong was the original planner and designer of Yuandu, he “identified the direction, got the provincial base, in the north of the present Fengchi Square, to the city system of land, divided into discipline in the secondary of the Ziwei wall.” The Purple Weir was the supreme star in the sky, the pivot of the heavens, and the recipient of tribute from all the stars. Liu Bingzhong’s comparison of the palace city and the Central Secretariat to the star of Zi Wei Yuan is apt. With this as the base, he determined the position of the central axis of the city, so that the centre of the palace was located on the central axis of the city, thus highlighting the planning pattern of the capital with the palace as the centre.
Another famous example of the use of geomancy and cosmic astrology to build a capital city is the Ming dynasty city of Nanjing, designed by Liu Ji, who was “a master of scripture and history, and a master of all books, especially the science of signs and weights”. It took him six years to determine the location of Zhu Yuanzhang’s palace, and he finally designed the city walls as a convergence of the “South Dipper” and the “North Dipper”, and placed the imperial palace area within the “Dipper” in the city plan. “The city plan placed the imperial palace area within the ‘Dipper Spoon’. Liu Ji also built between them three major
The three main halls – Fengtian, Huagai and Zhinshi – were a metaphor for Zhu Yuanzhang’s ‘divine mandate of imperial power’. These practices, which undoubtedly added to the mystique of the divine mandate of imperial power, had the effect of consolidating the rule of the feudal emperors and were therefore traditionally revered and emulated by rulers. The Forbidden City of the Ming and Qing dynasties is an outstanding example of ancient feng shui architecture.
The Forbidden City is located on the central axis of Beijing, with the palace layout symmetrical from east to west, set off to the left and right, with the halls heavily lined and the pavilions lofty, leaning to the west against Zhongnanhai, leaning to the north against Longevity Hill (Coal Hill), and with the Jinshui River to the south, so to speak, before the water and after the mountains, the intersection of yin and yang. There are no less than a hundred courtyards in the Forbidden City, each of which has its own main and subordinate buildings, with supporting halls set against the main palace, and numerous secondary courtyards of different sizes throughout the palace organised in an orderly manner, working together to guard the outer court, the main courtyard of the inner court and the main hall on the central axis. The entire palace city is an architectural reflection of the relationship between ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife in ancient society, and the supremacy of the monarchy and imperial power at the top of this relationship. The symbolism of the Forbidden City, based on the concept of feng shui, is particularly noteworthy because of its powerful impact.
Feng Shui concepts and the expression of cultural connotations in ancient cities
Urban form is not a simple, purely practical geometric patchwork, but an interlocking system of living environments that reflect deep cultural meaning. Every nation in the world is the creator of its living environment, and while the form of its environment is certainly linked to its external conditions, it is more importantly the expression of its inner consciousness based on corresponding cultural concepts. From the point of view of historical development, China, as one of the world’s three major cities, has had a highly developed urban civilisation and a distinctive urban culture since ancient times, and the careful selection of the location of the city based on traditional feng shui concepts and the far-reaching The most distinctive part of this is the careful choice of location and the far-reaching urban design based on traditional feng shui concepts.
As a special living environment where people live together, the location of a city should, of course, meet the basic needs of its inhabitants. In his book The Great Capitals, the English geographer Coleridge used the example of Western capitals and proposed three basic elements for the selection of a city site: firstly, a fork in the road, meaning a place with easy access; secondly, a barn, meaning that the food and other material wealth in the vicinity of the city should be able to meet the needs of the city; and thirdly, a fortress, meaning that it should be easily defended for security. The ancient Chinese feng shui concept of geomancy already includes the three basic elements mentioned by Coleridge. The three basic elements mentioned by Ko Lap-chee are only expressed in different ways. The five elements of the traditional feng shui concept of ‘situational law’ are: finding the dragon, inspecting the sand, observing the
The five elements of the traditional Feng Shui concept of ‘Situation Method’ are to find the dragon, inspect the sand, observe the water, point out the points and orientate. In traditional feng shui, mountains are likened to ‘dragons’, and the search for dragons is the observation and selection of mountains. The so-called ‘auspicious dragon’ should be strong and powerful, heavy in form and spirit, covered with greenery, and full of atmosphere. The so-called ‘sand’ refers to the mountains that surround the city from front to back. In the ancient times, the four directions were referred to by the Vermilion Bird, the Xuanwu, the The best choice is the Green Dragon, the White Tiger, the Xuanwu, the Zhuque and the Zhuque. In terms of their practical significance In practical terms, the west, north-west, north and north-east of China are often subject to cold winds in winter, known in feng shui as the ‘Great Rigid Wind’. The presence of mountains in these directions is naturally It is good for people to live and work in peace and happiness. Water refers to the source of water. To observe water is to examine the form and quality of water resources above and below ground. As a place for people to live, the city cannot live without water. Feng shui is the science of water, which is expressed as follows: “Without water, the air is dispersed, and without water, the earth does not support everything.” Water, of course, is not just for drinking, It is also about transport, landscape design and the avoidance of flooding. So there is a lot of talk about water, but the core of it is the argument that water The core of the discussion, however, is the argument for the usefulness of water and its ecological environment. For example, the Ping Yang Quanshu says: “Water can be used for boats and oars, and then it can be built (as a city), otherwise it is only a fortress.” This is clearly
This is a clear consideration of the transport role of water. The Guanzi (Guanzi – The Horse) says: “Whenever a state capital is established, it must be located on a wide river, not under a large mountain. It should not be high enough for drought, but low enough for water, so that ditches and drains are saved.” The idea is that the land should be easy to defend; the idea is that the river should be productive; the idea is that it should not be near drought, and the idea is that it should not be threatened by floods. Traditional feng shui concepts also use the human body’s acupuncture points as a metaphor for the place where mountains and water meet, where yin and yang converge, and the so-called ‘pointing’ is to determine the centre of the city so that the overall planning of the city can be carried out. The ‘direction’ in the concept of feng shui refers to the direction or orientation of the city, which is obviously an important reference for the choice of city location and overall city planning. In ancient times, the four directions of the Bagua were used to refer to the eight directions, and the five elements were used to determine good and bad fortune. The general principle is that natural harmony and appropriate scale are auspicious. It is evident that the traditional concept of feng shui, in its particular formulation, guides people in the selection of a natural environment suitable for settlement, and that its basic intention is not fundamentally different from the modern or Western elements of city site selection.
While the basic needs of people in terms of the physical environment should be relatively easy to satisfy, the spiritual needs of people are much more complex, and it is in this way that the traditional concept of feng shui is special. History has shown that humans themselves are highly adaptable to their external environment, from the cold Arctic to the hot equator, from the solitude of mountain dwellings to the hustle and bustle of the city, people are everywhere. While the concept of feng shui certainly takes into account the desirability of human habitation, its focus is more on the connotations of the human environment and the fortunes of human beings in relation to it. A place with sunlight, greenery and other material foundations is not necessarily the ideal environment for living, but humans have their own hopes, desires and fears. It is only through the expression of these feelings in the environment we create that a truly ideal living environment is created. The concept of feng shui is used in the selection of city sites and urban In urban site selection and planning, the concept of feng shui expresses the various emotional elements of people’s consciousness through social conventions of suggestion, symbols, signs and cryptic language. Based on This makes it impossible to interpret and understand ancient urban forms in a purely functional sense. In the case of the gate, which in feng shui concepts is referred to as the ‘mouth of qi’, the form, orientation and The form, orientation and size of the door, for example, cannot be explained in terms of basic functions and physiological needs, but are mainly controlled by social conventions and their symbolic meaning. In addition to the physical environment, the site chosen by the feng shui concept adds an infinite sense of mystery, trustworthiness and hope for the future.
The site of the city was chosen by the feng shui concept. The location of palaces, official offices and altars in urban planning not only has a positional significance, but is also given a special meaning by symbolism and suggestion. The orientation of palaces, official offices and altars in urban planning not only has a positional significance, but is also given a special meaning by symbolism and suggestion. People are faced with choices all the time in this world, and feng shui is at its heart a matter of choice. This is why Qian Daxin, in his Henglu, says: “Ancient geomancy is nowadays a choice. It can also be said that the concept of feng shui not only guides people’s choices, but also gives them meaning. The concept of feng shui not only guides people’s choices, but also gives them meaning. The seemingly dispassionate symbols of feng shui are concentrated with strong emotions and desires, giving people a sense of It is a comfort to the soul.
In the consciousness of the ancients, the world in which people live is an interconnected and harmonious whole, and is linked by the basic elements of Qi, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements, thus making it possible to create some kind of inevitable connection and mystical induction between heaven, earth, and people. The so-called feng shui concept is largely a belief and effect based on this consciousness, which creates various techniques and means of avoiding bad luck through people’s associations and experiences. The reason why the ‘style plate’ in the hands of a feng shui master is able to predict good fortune and bad luck, is that it is modelled on the sky as a circle and the earth as a square, with the eight directions, the twelve months and the twenty-eight constellations engraved in the plate, which rotate up and down as if the sky were spinning left and the earth was not moving. With this symbolic tool, complemented by language and technology, the ancient people, who were already living in a mystical atmosphere, were able to create associations, confidence and effects. The concept and practice of feng shui was a specific ritual, recognised by heaven and earth and the gods through symbolic operating systems, and people were comforted by the symbolic and mystical language of the concept of feng shui. In the mystical atmosphere of ancient times, symbolism was so important that things and phenomena such as the past and the future, the real and the unreal, as well as emotion and will, could be expressed through it. Although it was a mere symbol, a suggestion, a metaphor but not a fact in itself, symbols sometimes replaced facts in the consciousness of the ancients as a source of meaning.
The ancient Chinese concept of feng shui and the theory of xiangtu geomancy were too esoteric in their interpretation due to the constraints of historical conditions, and inevitably had a strong influence of The ancient Chinese concept of feng shui and the theory of xiangtu geomancy were, due to historical constraints, too esoteric in their interpretation and inevitably too superstitious. One can laugh at the ignorance and backwardness of feng shui concepts, but if one contemplates and purifies them, and analyses their basic orientation, one can see that they are not only ignorant, but also have a strong sense of the importance of feng shui. But if one contemplates, purifies and analyses its basic orientation, one will see that it is concerned first and foremost with the relationship between man and his environment, and strives to promote harmony between man and nature. It is also quite reasonable in that it advocates harmony between man and nature. In particular, its emphasis on the concept of the “unity of man and heaven” and its holistic and organic view of nature rightly suggests that In particular, its emphasis on the concept of “the unity of heaven and man” and the holistic and organic concept of nature rightly raises the important issue that only by choosing the right natural environment can mankind facilitate its own survival and development. In a sense In a sense, it is the ‘feng shui concept’ embodied in the planning and layout of ancient cities that is the essence of China’s ancient urban landscape, which is also which has long been neglected in Western urbanism.
