gửi bởi kts_june1 » Thứ 5 Tháng 3 18, 2010 4:54 pm
Feng Shui, a special traditional philosophy in urban design, spatial arrangement through observation and acknowledgement for thousands of years. It links the whole process from site selection, designing, construction and interior and exterior decorating in ancient times. Originated in China, Feng means wind and Shui is water, Feng Shui nowadays has been spreading many countries, included Vietnam. In general, Feng Shui combines the trinity of the Heaven, the Earth and humans, and seeks harmony between the land, direction, natural features and human factor.
In the twentieth-century, Feng Shui not only has attracted more and more scholars, but also has increasingly gained higher status because many of potentials and works based on Feng Shui were done. Benefits of Feng Shui are mentioned as the role in the development of Chinese science and technology (Essen, 2000); as astro-ecology of the relationship between lives and surrounding environment (Bennett, 1978); as the modern model of ecology, geography and ecological design (Lip, 1979; 1985); as the great success of sustainable agriculture (Michell, 1973; Skinner, 1983); as the key stone, linking man and his environment in harmony with nature (Rossabach, 1983); the ecological and functional effects of Feng Shui landscape have also been noticed, as in trapping sunlight, keeping off wind, avoiding floods and choosing well sites while keeping water at convenient reach for daily use and irrigation, etc. (Lip, 1979; Rossabach, 1983). The practical principles of Feng Shui are considered to be universal and can be practiced equally in the West and the East (Skinner, 1983, Xu, 1990). In the ancient citadel of Vietnam, Feng Shui model was also used as a location index for archaeological work and preservation.
Hence, as the result of Feng Shui practice, places selected and arranged with Feng Shui were attractive in any way. To understand about Feng Shui, it is worth to mention some of basis concepts of Feng Shui to get the foundational background. They are Qi, Yin and Yang, Five Elements and their cyclical interactions. Furthermore, the branch of Form School which is one of the two branches of Feng Shui will be focused as below.
1.1. Qi concept
Qi is a basic concept of Feng Shui. According to Feng Shui, everything is made of Qi, (Qi means energy or air circulation). The process of landscape related to Feng Shui is the movement and change of Qi. Qi is often described as, vital breath, or life energy which can be carried by the air; held by water; broken by wind; and blocked by barriers such as, mountains, buildings, walls or trees. Qi gives energy to human being, life to nature, movement to water and growth to plants” (Eitel, 1873). Qi is categorized into “living Qi” and “dead Qi”. Warm or moving, living Qi infuses life with energy, while dead Qi is cold and still, making life end. Living Qi will depend on two basic criteria: to guide by water and not to break up by wind.
1.2. Yin and Yang concept
The concept of Yin and Yang is one of the most essential and philosophical theories of Feng Shui. It is the Chinese perspective of balance and continual change. Yin and Yang theory supports most of other theories including the Five Elements theory and the Environment. The symbol of Yin/Yang is the two tear drop shapes of black and white fitted into one another, symbolizing movement. Within Yang, there is a small piece of Yin; within Yin, there is a small piece of Yang. Their symbol represents everything in the Universe. They are complementary opposites; one cannot exist without the other. The way of the Tao states that Yin/Yang should exists naturally in a dynamic state of balance and harmony.
1.3. Five Elements and two cyclical interactions
In ancient China, cosmos is composed by five elements: metal, fire, water, wood and earth. These five elements are considered the combination to achieve the balance and harmony in Feng Shui. These different elements react to each other in positive and negative ways.
1.3.1. The five elements
To understand the mysteries of the universe, ancient Chinese used the Yin/Yang and the five element theories to describe everything in the cosmos. Chinese believed that the production, development and the changes of everything were the result of Yin/Yang interaction with each other. This interaction can also be described within the five elements which are wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
Wood element is started since it is the beginning of new life, springtime and renewal. Living plants such as shrubs or trees can attain the Qi of wood by providing a natural filter for air, but dead plant holds dead Qi and is considered of bad unsightly influence. Wood is also used to break the direct sharp flow of Qi into a soft flow.
Fire element is the most "Yang" of the elements. In Feng Shui, it is the symbol of fire or red. A red night light with a red shade makes excellent Fire remedies. Fire in proportion can be useful while out of control is destructive.
Earth element is considered as ordinary conception of dirt. In landscape, large granite boulders or terracotta pots filled with soil or a beautiful clay statue can be used as an Earth remedy. Earth also represents the Mountain. Earth tone, yellow, or brown color can be used, but they are not nearly as effective as the actual element.
Metal element can be found in forms of coin, silver, gold, steel and bronze. Using the Metal element, the essential is that element is rounded and pleasing, not sharp and pointed. The colors of white, silver, or gold can be used.
Water element is considered as power. Most capital cities, major cities and palaces, they are either located near the water or have large lakes or rivers nearby. Water can be represented by the colors blue or black. Water can be stored in pools, ponds, fountains, water sculptures, simple aquarium, or even bowls of water. The key thing of these applications is to keep the water fresh and moving. Stagnant water is considered as dead Qi.
1.3.2. Two cyclical interactions
The basic theory behind the five elements can be summed up by two cyclical interactions: the creative cycle, the destructive cycle.
The Productive Cycle: The cycle of birth has the metal producing water, water producing wood, wood producing fire, fire producing earth, and earth producing metal. Every element played two roles in this cycle - producing another element, and in return, gets produced by another element. When the elements are combined in the environment to work together in balance, harmony is the result.
The Destructive Cycle: The cycle of destruction has the metal destroying wood, wood destroying earth, earth destroying water, water destroying fire, and fire destroying metal. Each element plays two roles in this cycle - destroying another element, and in return, getting destroyed by another element. In landscape design, combination of elements in this negative way could lead to the chaos.
1.4. Schools of thought in Feng Shui - Form School
There are two main schools of thought and practice in Feng Shui, Compass school and Form school. Compass school used the metaphysical speculations such as Eight Trigrams, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Constellations and composed elements according to the movement of the moon and the sun. The practice is highly dependent on mysterious formulae; therefore it has limited possibility to work in collaboration with the modern landscape practice.
Form School has been more recognized by building professionals, as it is more scientific than Compass School for analyzing the built environment (Mak, 2002). Indeed, Form School based on the understanding of physical factors of geographical features, first observes the land formation and terrain, and then determines location and orientation, concentrates on the analysis of sites, seeing the shapes, imaginability of the landforms, the sources of rivers, the terrain. These principles can be applied to both macro (e.g. design of a city, selection of site, etc.) and micro (e.g. garden, interior layout, etc.) environment. Therefore, its practice has potential to collaborate with landscape practice.
Form school has been well recognized and widely accepted by researchers, as it comprises the rational bases in the analysis of built environment. For instance, Xu (1990) compared Form School approach and Hendler western design model and stated that Feng Shui is a more powerful tool than the Hendler model in site analysis. Smith (1899) used Form School model to analyze economic values of properties in villages in Hong Kong. Yu (1998) stated that the city of Moscow and Washington also fulfilled the basic criteria of the ideal Form School.
In general, a common analytical methodology of the Form School focused on the shape of mountains and hills, the direction of water and the relationship between hills and water. Its principles also include arranging the movement of Qi, the balance and harmony of Yin and Yang, the combination of the Five Elements. Therefore, this research explores the Feng Shui concepts under the Form School, using concepts of Qi, balance and harmony of Yin and Yang, Five Elements and their principles in an evaluation Feng Shui landscape.
(copy mot phan luan van cua nguoi ban ten Feng Shui Principles and Modern Landscape Design Criteria: A Vietnamese Approach)
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