A question for those who know China

[Ocelot]

This cropped up on another forum

Prince Charles has proposed using Feng Shui to make London’s Chinatown more authentically Oriental.

In a set of design proposals released today, the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment said Feng Shui, the ancient art of designing and arranging buildings to ensure a favourable flow of energy, and Chinese mythology will play a major role in Chinatown’s designs.

-snip-

A full report will be published in September.

http://www.propertyweek.com:80/story.asp?sectioncode=297&storycode=3119714&c=1

I was suprised not to find it here too, but that may have more to do with the current reliability of the search function than the present state of reality.

Nonetheless my question was this.

How popular is Feng Shui in China? Would using Feng Shui in London's China town make it more Chinese or simply a closer fit to our western stereotypes of what China is like.

 

[leon_heller]

A friend of mine has a Chinese wife (she's a Chinese medical practitioner), and she never bothers about it. They are on holiday at the moment, otherwise I could check with her. I have a friend in HK, I'll ask him.

Leon

 

[pchams]

Feng Shui, and some dessicated illegal Canadian black bear gall bladder should fix London straight up.

 

[Nursefoxfire]

So, are they going to move the buildings around to ensure greater chi and more positive energy flow?

From what I remember about London, this could drastically improve traffic

 

[leon_heller]

A friend of mine has a Chinese wife (she's a Chinese medical practitioner), and she never bothers about it. They are on holiday at the moment, otherwise I could check with her. I have a friend in HK, I'll ask him.

Leon

I've just heard from my friend in HK. I asked him: "Someone asked about feng shui on a forum. Do ordinary Chinese people believe in it?"

His reply was:

"I think so. They think it is very scientific."

Our princeling is of the same opinion, presumably.

Leon

 

[blutoski]

I've just heard from my friend in HK. I asked him: "Someone asked about feng shui on a forum. Do ordinary Chinese people believe in it?"

His reply was:

"I think so. They think it is very scientific."

My impression is that it's hard to generalize. When I was in Hong Kong, I was at a party where my host described another guest as a 'Fung shui consultant.' I went over to listen to this guy's conversation, and he just kept talking about stocks.

Later, when I asked the host to clarify, he explained that 'Fung shui consultant' is an expression that describes somebody who sells nothing of real value, ie: similar to our expression about a 'snake oil salesman'.

There may be an educational divide.

 

[godless dave]

My impression is that it's hard to generalize.

Hard to generalize about a country of 1.2 billion people? Who knew!