The theory of fengshui may have originated in ancient China, but when most Chinese hear the word today, they associate it with superstition. Surprisingly, it is those on the other side of the Pacific that treat it as the scientific subject that Professor Larry Sang believes it is. A mysterious wind has blown the ancient Chinese discipline all the way across the sea, and into university classrooms, where Professor Sang teaches it as Environmental Architectonics.

Professor Sang, founder of the American Fengshui Institute and President of the American Yi Jing Study Center, is one of the most influential practitioners in the philosophy and teachings of fengshui today. He has lectured on the subject at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) since 1991. From the East to the West, Professor Sang has disseminated his considerable knowledge and experience to a total of 20,000 students.

Professor Sang believes the reason why the China-cultivated flower of fengshui smells sweeter to those outside the garden walls is down to the education level of China’s self-styled “fengshui masters.” Only a few have high school education, and most of them have never even heard of I-Ching (The Book of Changes) -- the fundamental theory behind fengshui. Purporting to be spiritual beings, they con their clients with supernatural claptrap. Many people therefore fling the idea of fengshui into the same basket as fortune telling and magic, and that is unfair to any science.

Yet in the West, people are starting to take a different approach. Many well-educated professionals like doctors and engineers tackle fengshui with an open mind, equip themselves with detailed facts, and study the concept as environmental architectonics.

Fengshui - Science or Superstition?

Fengshui has as little to do with faith or religion as gardening has. Ancient books on the subject mention neither god nor ghost. As an art of life and a study of the environment, fengshui is the pursuit of a high-grade habitat on Earth, not in heaven.

Like traditional Chinese medicine, fengshui has evolved through 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Both are based on the theory of yin and yang and the Five Elements. Practically everyone in China trusts the effectiveness of TCM, and many refuse to take any other form of medicine. Since the two ancient disciplines are so closely linked, continuing enthusiasm for fengshui should follow suit. But levels of interest in TCM and fengshui are as different as chalk and cheese.

Professor Sang says some people laugh fengshui off as a superstition while having no clue as to its meaning. That act itself is unscientific. He reckons that everything should be “viewed objectively, and proved conscientiously.” That is the only way to distinguish fact from fiction, or the scientific from the faith-based.

In any case, fengshui is not all that abstruse, and it is certainly not the mystery of all mysteries. Excepting the idea of “Qi,” whose existence presently escapes scientific confirmation, all of the other elements in Fengshui like location, building materials, daylight, structure and humidity are tangible or visible. All feature widely in modern architecture.

Purifying the “Wind” of Fengshui

Professor Sang believes, “One should learn fengshui in China, its place of origin.” This means those in domestic fengshui circles have their work cut out. More proof of its significance should be sought. And the imperfect and intermingled scholastic achievements of fengshui practitioners in China today need to be corrected. That would be of benefit to both eastern and Western students of fengshui.

Professor Sang holds that fengshui should be gradually expanded and popularized in China, so it can lose the label of superstition. Given the current skills and services provided by many fengshui “masters,” it is hardly surprising that people doubt its worth. Serious fengshui masters should examine the problems, and make efforts to rid their practice of this rot.

Having dedicated himself to the standardization of fengshui in the States, Professor Sang points out that recognized qualifications are key to the subject’s establishment as a professional field. He advocates its expansion in US universities, and the further popularization of the ancient science around the world. Professor Sang says, “We can introduce effective management and supervision mechanisms to ensure the professional qualifications earned by fengshui practitioners are just as reliable as those earned by doctors.” Sang continues, “I also believe candidates need a good understanding of Chinese culture before they obtain their qualification. If they visit Beijing, they’ll get a first-hand idea of the country’s profound culture, and they’ll also have the opportunity to visit the capital’s numerous ancient fengshui-based architectures.”

Professor Sang says his ultimate goal is “to introduce I Ching (The Book of Changes) and Daode Jing (The Book of the Way and Its Virtue) to the world.” His work so far is helping. The American Fengshui Institute is introducing the concept to the public, helping people to distinguish between qualified and unqualified practitioners, and providing students with the correct theory and skills needed to be a real fengshui master.