The art and craftiness of fengshui

No one would believe that behind the ceramic tile exterior of Chen Hsuan-yi's (陳軒翊) Shulin apartment lies an office that makes one want to work overtime. The scent of teakwood from the carved door frames, the gentle breeze from ceiling fans and the brick and mahogany-colored walls were all selected by the fengshui master to create a positive working environment.

Fengshui is a booming business, but as interest in the subject increases, so does the number of critics and charlatans looking to cash in on its popularity.

Rich in history and subject to complex rules, fengshui, put simply, is the placement of objects and furniture in one's home so as to maximize the flow of energy or qi. Its roots are planted in the I-Ching, or Book of Changes, an ancient Chinese divination manual from some 5,000 ago.

For experts and masters, fengshui is a complex science that follows calculations using a Chinese compass or luo pan (羅盤), in addition to a whole range of other factors.

"It is much more than moving furniture around. There is internal and external fengshui and if you really want to improve your quality of life, you must pay attention to both parts," Chen said. Internal fengshui involves living a healthy lifestyle -- early to bed, early to rise, and everything in moderation. External fengshui involves the placement of furniture in one's living and working environments. For accurate readings, both require the date of birth and the height and weight of the people involved.

Chang Hsu-chu (張旭初), chairman of the Chinese Geomancy Research Association (CGRA, 中國地理風水研究協會) estimated that there are about 3,000 licensed geomancy practitioners in Taiwan, but anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 who are unlicensed.

"Many who claim to be experts are not. They realize there is money to be made in this field. After they read a few books to learn the basics, they start to counsel people on how to arrange their homes," he said.

Having studied the art of spatial harmony for more than 20 years, Chang is regarded as one of Taiwan's leading fengshui experts. His biggest projects to date include Taipei 101 and the Presidential Office.

Given the different approaches, there is debate as to who is an authentic practitioner and who is merely jumping on a profitable bandwagon. Chen and Chang's methods are substantially different. Chang can offer advice on how to rearrange furniture over the telephone and can counsel on the basis of a faxed floor plan.

Chen needs to meet with his clients in person to complete a detailed survey before he will give any advice. Chang is fond of using crystals to maximize love, health and wealth, whereas Chen prefers more general recommendations such as adjusting lighting and coloring and most importantly, using plants. Chang is not a fan of plants inside the home.

"Different masters give different readings ... The most important thing is for the person occupying the space to feel comfortable. If you feel at ease, then the energy flow is good, if you feel stressed, there must be something blocking that flow," Chen said.

In addition to teaching fengshui theory, Chen takes on large projects for companies in both Taiwan and China. One point he is sure to get across is the importance of keeping things green. "Fengshui should not hurt the environment. It should always work together with nature," Chen said.