Back in the 1980s, the term feng shui was hardly known in the UK, but today it is part of the English language. Most people associate it with a Chinese philosophy relating to property, interior design and people’s personal wellbeing.
In Chinese, feng means wind and shui means water, and combining the two words is a metaphor for the Chinese system of land management and environmental science.
The principle of feng shui is about creating the right environment for the wellbeing of the people who live and work in a building or area. It evolved 4,000 years ago in China when man started to settle on the land. People searched for the best places to find safe shelter, water supply, to sow crops and raise farm animals.
This knowledge developed after the successes of villages or towns based on this tenet. Eventually, feng shui was used in the court of the Chinese emperors for the development of buildings, towns and regions, and to boost emperors’ power. All the credit for successful developments went to the emperors rather than the architects or feng shui consultants.
Living in harmony
Feng shui’s tenet is “living in harmony with nature”, with the emphasis on working with nature as opposed to the western ethos of conquering nature. The Alliance Feng Shui, a team of feng shui consultants, helps property developers worldwide to succeed in their projects by using the practice.
Team members are carefully selected and trained in the practice of traditional discipline, as in the court of the Chinese emperors from the 16th century. Formal training as an apprentice can take up to 10 years under the tutelage of a feng shui master. This intensive training is not only in the technical aspects of the knowledge, but also in applying it to different situations and adapting it to modern living. Training is focused on discipline for the individual and the team, and the teamwork is focused on clients’ success.
Working in teams is the most effective way to help large projects because it provides both speed and continuity for the duration of the project. Client confidentiality is the team’s business ethic; the names of clients are never disclosed. This gives the clients an advantage over their competitors by having the “secret weapon” of traditional feng shui to achieve success.
After the communist takeover of China in 1949, the practice of feng shui knowledge was banned and the experts were exiled to Taiwan. It was from there that the knowledge spread to the outpost Chinese communities in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia and then to the rest of the world. Initially, feng shui was used mainly by Chinese emigrants in Asia to improve wellbeing and prosperity in their homes and businesses.
Developers took notice of this and started to incorporate feng shui in their residential and business developments. They found that by incorporating it in the design, they could not only sell properties at a premium and ahead of schedule, but could also complete the project on time and within budget.
In China’s robust economy today, many Chinese have the financial power to buy properties overseas, particularly in the UK and North America. These buyers are seeking new properties, preferably with feng shui aspects.
Eastern-savvy property developers in the UK have recently begun to include feng shui in the design of their projects to meet the requirements of these customers. It was reported this year that more that 50% of the purchasers of new central London developments are from South-East Asia and China. A further 5% are from India, and UK purchasers make up only 19% of the total.
Alliance Feng Shui works in North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East with different types of project, including residential, business parks, office buildings and shopping centres, the design of cities and site selection.
The earlier members of the team are brought into a project, the better its chances of success. Some projects that had already begun were too late to rectify.
Time and space
Feng shui is not only about space, but also about time. Changes take place in the world all the time. Analysis of time can be used to predict future trends. For example, in the period between 1984 and 2004, the analysis predicted that the main area of development in the UK would be the Thames Valley corridor – the area between Swindon, through Reading to London Heathrow Airport.
The main industries in this area are computers and telecoms. That period was characterised by extravagant behaviour, celebrities and a decline in moral standards. This period ended with the collapse of the banks in 2008.
The current time period of 2004 to 2024 could not be more different. The new area of prosperity is northeast of London, centred around Cambridge. This city is in the forefront of nano technology, including the use of stem cells. This era is the dawn of more intellectual pursuits, with focus on skill and achievement.
As a result, traditional feng shui can help us understand the environment and harness its energy to our advantage.
Dr Michael Oon is a feng shui consultant specialising in major commercial development projects in the UK. He is the author of Creating Competitive Advantage with Traditional Feng Shui
