Basic feng shui series
Feng shui - the beginning
by Jayashree Bose

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Feng Shui is an age-old science that can be traced back to nearly 5000 years. The debate surrounding the exact age of feng shui, will only be resolved once all related ancient Chinese text are unearthed and translated. However, on the basis of documents currently available, it is a generally held view among feng shui scholars, that feng shui existed before the birth of Confucius (approximately 551 BC).

Fu Hsi who designed the Hetu was the first of the five Ti's (Emperor's), as documented in The Shu King. There is also documented mention of Ti Yao who was the fourth in the succession of the five Ti. Originally these documents were simply a compilation of older documents and were not in a chronological order . It was only in the Han dynasty that an attempt was made to construct a scheme of the history of Chinese dynasties. The scholars employed a sexagenarian cycle for this purpose.

In the works of Mencius (Chinese philosopher) he says "from Yao and Shun to Thang (a period including all of Hsia Dynasty) there were 500 years and more; from Thang to King Wan (the period of Shang Dynasty) 500 years and more; and from King Wan to Confucius, 500 years and more." Therefore, given that Confucius was born in around 551 BC adding 1500 years "and more" given by Menecius, we have an approximate estimate of 2100 BC when Yao was emperor of China. I am of the view that vague words from Menecius do not give a conclusive time frame and the only other way to determine the length of Chinese dynasties is to base it on astronomical considerations.

In The Shu King - Canon of Yao, Yao gives instruction to his astronomers on how to determine the equinoxes and solstices. "He separately commanded the second brother ..in what was called the Bright valley ...The day (said he), "is of medium length and the star is in Niao; you may thus determine mid-spring."" Astronomers who studied the pattern of stars in the sky put the date of Yao's accession to 2357 BC. Remembering that Fu Hsi, the founder of the Chinese nation, was the first of the five Ti's (Yao being the fourth) an approximate deduction would put Fu Hsi's rule to 2900BC. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that the first step towards development of feng shui began around the 2900BC.

Fu Hsi was the one who formulated the Early Heaven Sequence, from which he deduced the eight triagrams. Fu Hsi's diagram of the eight triagrams are further studied by King Wan (born 1231 BC) and his son Duke of Kau. They both then incorporated their own interpretations to develop the Lo Shu from which they deduced the later heaven sequence.

Confucius is said to have added to their works around 600 years later. The Yi( -commonly known as the Book of Changes), contains attempts to explain the origins of the Fu Hsi's figures, many of the interpretations of King Wan and his son Duke of Kau and Confucian appendices.

There is also evidence of site selection methods being followed in ancient China, in the second Chinese classic The Shih (The Book of Poetry) there is a poem narrating how Duke Than-fu also the grandfather of King Wan (Shang Dynasty BC 1766 - 1045) chooses a site for his people to settle down.

"The ancient duke Than-fu, came in the morning, galloping his horse, along the banks of western rivers, to the foot of mount Khi and there he and the lady Kiang came and together looked out for a site.and they proceeded there to build...he divided the ground and sub-divided it; he dug the ditches, he defined the acres."

The form of site selection depended on divination and yin yang principles. The ancient Chinese did not use any formulas. The formulas that we study and read about came much later.

Ancient Chinese have used and developed feng shui over centuries. Like Rome, feng shui was not built in a day but was developed in small steps. In fact, the words feng shui were first used in the Zhang Shu (Book of burial) written by a famous feng shui master, Gou Po during the Wei Jin period (276 -324 AD). Prior to this feng shui was called kanyu or dili.

Many still believe that feng shui began 5000 years ago, some say 2000 years ago and some say couple of centuries ago. In my opinion the form of feng shui that is in practice today started only a few centuries back but the first step towards feng shui(early heaven formation) began nearly 5000 years ago. However, the term feng shui has been in use since last 2000 years (approximate).