into the hands of the emperor’s enemies. The general population was also mostly illiterate. Many of the sages’ teachings were relayed in simplified forms, using terms such as “ghosts” and “killers” to indicate taboo and ‘abundant wealth”, “plentiful children” and “longevity” to encourage compliance. It was much easier than explaining how the sun, moon and planets, and their position over time affect us through their constantly shifting magnetosphere and gravitational forces. The ancient sages were not just philosophers; they were mathematicians, astronomers, geologists and sociologists, to name a few. They observed nature and events, meticulously recorded and studied them, and produced hypotheses which were refined over centuries. Every ruler wants to remain in power and for their reign to be perpetuated over generations. Perhaps in the distant past, kings or chieftains were appointed from among the strongest of a tribe. Indeed, before the Xia dynasty (2070 BC - 1600 BC) began, kings appointed successors based on their worthiness instead of bloodline. To ensure their dynasty lasts forever, emperors needed to quash opposition be it internal or foreign. They had to demonstrate that they had the “mandate of heaven” to rule over the country. The ancient Chinese believed that emperors were representatives of heaven bestowed with the authority to oversee them. Any unexpected phenomena - drought, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, the appearance of comets - were seen as signs that the emperor had lost favour and the right to rule. Even in the Bible, the seven disasters that befell Egypt were seen as God’s will to punish the pharaoh and demand the release of the Jewish people. If the emperor could anticipate these events ahead of time, he would be able to use them to his advantage; heaven is unhappy with the populace and will produce these signs as a warning to them! Thus, the imperial ministers had to be really good, not only to keep their jobs but to keep alive as well! Records of their works and knowledge were kept in the imperial libraries and many survive to this day. These are the main source of authentic Feng Shui knowledge. Unfortunately, the texts are written in archaic form, often in the form of poems - it was easier to remember - and not many people understand their true meaning today. Historical scholars usually lack the foundational Feng Shui knowledge to interpret the context; Feng Shui students lack the scholastic skills and patience to study these texts. Given these factors, is it any surprise that Feng Shui and other Chinese sciences started to decline? The Cultural Revolution did not help either. Mao Zedong believed that China’s weakness was due to its old ideas, culture, customs and habits, and sought to eliminate them. Among his targets was Feng Shui. Today, Feng Shui is still officially banned in China. Fortunately, practitioners of the science fled to Taiwan, Hong
Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere. They keep this knowledge alive but with subsequent generations as the old masters pass away, the depth of knowledge becomes diluted. While the younger generation may know how to apply a Feng Shui formula, they may not know how the formula was derived. This is dangerous because faced with new situations, they will not be able to adapt their formula accordingly. For example, high-rise buildings are the norm in cities today; there were none in ancient China. Today’s cities are criss-crossed with elevated highways and burrowed with underground tunnels. These structures never existed when Feng Shui started. Do the ancient formulas still apply? Do they need to be modified? What would the basis for modification be? Do the practitioners have enough foundational knowledge to discern this, or is this a hit-and-miss affair? As mentioned earlier, not many people understand the original texts, written as poetry. Some words are no longer in use today – they cannot be found in any Chinese dictionary. Some words are extant but carried a different meaning in the past. Some terms were references to actual persons or animals that were famous thousands of years ago. To modern readers, they are mistakenly interpreted as, just about anything! In this series of articles, we will explore various parts of the Klang Valley and their Feng Shui, based on the local landform. We will also attempt to dispel preconceptions about this subject, and cover basic principles for choosing a suitable property. Throughout this journey, we will view and interpret Feng Shui principles from a scientific point-of-view as much as possible, to separate myth and fallacy from sound principles.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR Stephen Chin is an entrepreneur and public speaker in the field of leadership and personal development. Stephen is currently the Vice-President of Public Affairs at the Malaysian Institute of Geomancy Sciences.
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