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Feng Shui History
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of
utilizing certain so called laws governing the heavens and earth
that can improve through what is called having positive Qi. Feng
Shui history is an ancient one and covers over 3,500 years. It is
even older than the invention of the magnetic compass. A main
portion of its origins may stem from ancient astronomy.
The astronomical history of Feng Shui is evident in the ancient
instruments that were developed in its practice. The earliest known
Feng Shui instrument may have been what is known as the gnomon. This
instrument was used along with trying to circumpolar the stars in
order to determine the north and south axis. This was basically used
in laying down early Chinese settlements.
The ancient Yangshao and Hongshan cultures in China provide the
earliest evidences of the practice of feng shui. As early as 4000
BCE, doors from Banpo dwellings were aligned to the star called
Yingshi just right after the winter solstice. This allowed the homes
to be sited for better solar gain. During the Zhou era, the star
Yingshi was known as Ding and had a great influence in trying to
determine the appropriate time to build their capital city. This is
according to records on the Shijing.
Another example of the practice of ancient feng shui can also be
found from the grave at Puyang that dates back to about 3000 BCE.
This particular grave contains mosaics of the stars called Dragon
and Tiger along with the Beidou, known in the Western world as the
Big Dipper constellation. The mosaics seem to be oriented along the
north to south axis. The presence of round and square shapes were
also found at the Puyang tomb as well as at the Hongshan cultural
ceremonial centers and the former Longshan settlement. These
evidences suggest that the practice of gaitian astronomy (belief in
a round earth and a square earth) was already present in the ancient
Chinese society.
One of the oldest instruments used in ancient feng shui were the
liuren astrolabes. These ancient instruments consist of a lacquered,
two-sided board equipped with astronomical sightlines. The oldest of
the liuren astrolabes have been found and discovered from tombs
dating from 278 BCE and 209 BCE. These ancient astrolabes show the
cord-hook diagram and some those found even include the magic square
of three. The markings on these instruments remained unchanged, from
the ancient astrolabe down to the first magnetic compasses.
The practice of astronomy that bears a striking resemblance to many
modern feng shui devices and theories were also discovered on a jade
artifact found in Hanshan that dated at around 3000 BCE. Ancient
structures in China which included its palaces in the capital cities
are all influenced by feng shui in their design and layout. The
rules that were followed were written during the Zhou era on the "Kaogong
ji", or the "Manual of Crafts".
The magnetic compass was initially invented for the practice of feng
shui and has been in use since its invention. Traditional feng shui
instruments include the Luopan or the earlier south-pointing spoon
or the zhinan zhen. This shows the extent of feng shui history and
its long standing practice in ancient Chinese history.
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