Feng Shui – Part 1 Introduction

            With thousands of years of continuously recorded history, the Chinese civilization has produced a lot of practical techniques and philosophy, such as acupuncture and Feng Shui, which we still enjoy to this date. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art and science of placement. The principles of Feng Shui have a history dated more than three thousand years ago. Like all principles of modern science, the principles of Feng Shui evolved out of people’s observations of the nature and the environment around them. Unlike the principles of modern science, which are developed by a continuous process of corrections, the concepts of Feng Shui have not yet gone through any paradigm shift. Inevitably, some of the Feng Shui concepts would seem like superstition nowadays. Nevertheless, there are other Feng Shui concepts that appear to be well justified from a scientific point of view and still applicable to our daily lives.

It takes talent and many years of training to become a Feng Shui consultant and I do not call myself one. I am simply a person who likes to study the kinds of homes that feel as elegant and comfortable as they look. As a real estate broker with backgrounds in science and Chinese culture, my purpose of writing this series of articles is simply to introduce you to those Feng Shui concepts that appear to make sense or base on scientific rationales. I will not discuss those Feng Shui concepts that seem outdated. As a result, you would be able to pick a house and decorate it in a balance and equilibrium way to achieve harmony with your environment.  

            The Chinese considers homes facing south (or homes with most of their windows on the south side) as the best dwellings. This is because China’s territory is mostly on the north of the Tropic of Cancer. Sun light can get into the houses facing south throughout the year, creating a bright living space year round. Specifically, in the winter, sun light hits the area along the Tropic of Capricorn with a right angle. Houses facing south on the north of the Tropic of Cancer can get a lot of sun light, resulting in a warm living environment in the winter. In the summer, sun light hits the area along the Tropic of Cancer with a right angle. There would be minimum amount of sun light in the houses facing south on the north of the Tropic of Cancer. This results in a cool living space in the summer.

Although houses facing east will enjoy sun light in the morning, the house would become too hot in the summer. Houses facing west would become even hotter in the summer as the sun light finds its way into the house in the afternoon. Therefore, homes facing east and west are not considered the optimal dwellings. Houses facing north would suffer from a lack of sun light and the cold winter breeze from the north. Therefore, buyers would want to avoid homes with most windows facing north. American territory is also mostly on the north of the Tropic of Cancer. Therefore, this Feng Shui principle also well applies to the American living.   

            In later articles, I will discuss more Feng Shui principles, along with other real estate related information. These principles may serve as guidelines when readers choose a home or place furniture. Nevertheless, readers should keep in mind that unless you hire an architect and a builder to build you a custom designed home, it is inevitable to buy a home with some aspects against the Feng Shui principles. You should always weigh the pros and cons of a new home. Choose a home with all the important features and tolerate those minor imperfections that do not seem to be too important to you. Remember that with today’s high technology, there are always Feng Shui cures to improve your living space. For example, if you have your heart set on a home facing north. Except for the nature sun light, this home has all the features that are important to you. You may want to consider adding some full spectrum light bulb. (See for example: http://www.amazon.com/Full-Spectrum-Light-Bulb-Daylight/dp/B00198SWJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357811080&sr=8-1&keywords=full+spectrum+light+bulb)