Like many Taiwanese, Jiang Bai-le (江柏樂) blames the country's economic doldrums on President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Only his criticism has nothing to do with Chen's policies.
"Taiwan's economic situation since 2004 has been poor because Chen Shui-bian chose a building to house his father's cremated remains," says Jiang, who makes geomantic predictions on his popular television program Fun With Fortune-Telling (命運好好玩).
But Jiang is optimistic that no matter who wins the March 22 presidential election, the country's economy will rally soon.
"I've checked the names of Taiwan's top entrepreneurs, and beginning in the sixth month of the lunar calendar all of their business prospects will improve," he says.
Such prognosticating might be treated with derision among skeptical quarters, but in Taiwan feng shui masters like Jiang earn good money helping businessmen and political candidates make decisions.
They're also active in the property market, consulting real estate investors and interior designers who believe feng shui - the ancient practice of organizing space to maximize the flow of positive energy - can influence everything from one's working environment to personal health.
Feng shui specialists say they can manipulate the flow of qi (氣), the invisible life force or energy that resides in every living thing. By limiting the flow of negative qi and accentuating the flow of positive qi, they claim the ability to ensure positive future outcomes for their clients. Call it risk management the old-fashioned way.
finding the right person for the job
Chao Tsai-ling (趙采羚), who runs a New Age shop near to Taipei 101 that sells crystals and other good luck charms, has hired seven feng shui specialists, including two since she moved to Taipei five years ago.
To find the right feng shui master, or geomancer, she relies on recommendations from friends. Word of mouth gets around and specialists whose clients suffer misfortune quickly gain a bad reputation.
"Experience has taught me that you don't just look at your own fortune, but the fortune of the feng shui specialist as well," she says.
She cites as an example the 921 earthquake, which happened after the second feng shui master changed the position of her bed.
"My husband then lost his job," she says. "The third feng shui master also suggested we change the position of the bed, but after sleeping in it for a little while my husband contracted cancer. A year after my husband's surgery, we moved out of that house."
Chao has now found a feng shui master she likes. Her husband's health has improved and her business is flourishing. She is so convinced feng shui works that she has decided to delve deeper into the "science."
"I am now studying feng shui," she says. "But I'm doing it for my friends and customers as much as I am doing it for myself."
Many businessmen hire feng shui masters when they build offices or factories. By minimizing the effects of negative qi, they hope to improve the fortunes of companies and ensure better health for their employees. Geomancy is such a pervasive element in Taiwan's property market that most real estate agents receive training in the practice.
Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧), who runs Jiin Der Interior Design (覲得空間設計), estimates that 80 percent of her clients believe in geomancy. Many demand that a feng shui master play a direct role in designing their apartments.
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