Historical

Back in November 2019, I dragged myself out of bed at 6 a.m. in a rented Beijing siheyuan, fully prepared to huddle over my morning tea while shivering through the cold. Overnight temps had dropped to 2 degrees Celsius (that’s 35°F, for folks who don’t do metric), and the 120-year-old building had zero central heating. To my complete shock, the main living area was already toasty. Sun streamed through the south-facing entry, and not a single draft cut through the space. That was my first real taste of how intentional siheyuan feng shui design works—not just as a dusty cultural tradition, but as a hyper-practical, climate-aligned way to build a genuinely comfortable home. ...

The Guangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture (Wenqin Pavilion) is not only an important treasure house for the transmission of Chinese culture but also deeply embodies traditional Chinese Feng Shui wisdom in its site selection and architectural design. How does this magnificent structure coexist harmoniously with the surrounding natural environment? This article will explore the Feng Shui mysteries of the Guangzhou National Archives from the perspectives of its geographical location and architectural style. ...

Introduction: The Environmental Wisdom of Unity Between Heaven and Humanity Feng Shui (known in ancient times as “Kan Yu” or “Geography”) is not an isolated folk practice, but a comprehensive theoretical system of human settlement environments. It is rooted in the philosophy of the I Ching (Book of Changes) and integrates core elements of traditional Chinese culture, such as Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, the He Tu and Luo Shu, and the Stems and Branches calendar. As the foundational post of this blog, this article will take you back to the origins to explore the essence of Feng Shui. All subsequent content on this blog will expand, continue, deepen, and refine upon this foundation. ...