Fengshui Philosophy 1: Man, Water and Mountains of Green, Gold and Silver
In the pursuit of greater wealth and better quality of lives, nature is often being sacrificed, but there are repercussions to bear. This is a bitter lesson well-learnt by many developed countries, including Singapore. Most of you would be familiar with the Singapore River decade-long clean up that took place in 1977.
From a heavily polluted working waterway, the Singapore River has been transformed into an attractive waterfront environment for housing, recreation, entertainment and new commercial developments – providing better quality of life and renewed economic activities.
The concept of green living begins with the preservation of water sources. Only then would there be a green oasis, supported by sustainable practices that would lead to a green economy.
In China, this similar concept is reflected in the philosophy of “clear waters and green mountains are as good as mountains of gold and silver”, which depicts the fragile and contradictory relationship between environmental protection and economic growth. One should note that for the “two mountains” to become one, the “clear waters and green mountains” must first be restored.
The “two mountains theory” has been ingrained and practised by the local population since the early 2000s, an environmental initiative led by Anji County in Zhejiang Province.
The movie set of an Oscar award-winning movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Anji County brings to mind the image of an endless beautiful bamboo sea. It is the first national ecological county in China, but you may not know that in the early 1990s, it was in the midst of heavy pollution and destruction.
Then, Yu Village in Anji country was getting rich by exploiting nature – digging into mountains to extract limestone. Throughout the Zhejiang province, rapid industrialisation resulted in ravaged water courses, eroded banks, and smelly, polluted waters caused by domestic and industrial wastewaters.
In trying to improve the situation, the local authorities committed themselves to build an ecological province in 2003, keeping in mind to create a balance between industrialisation and environmental protection.
They began by introducing the “river chief system” (河长制) and appointed 60,000 “river chiefs” who were responsible for managing the drainage basin and performing duties such as protecting water resources, pollution prevention and control and ecological restoration.
In less than two decades, the beautiful nature of Anji county was restored, with the local inhabitants placing interest in green economy – taking up jobs in rural tourism.
Fast forward to the present, Anji is one of the nation’s 100 richest agricultural counties, showing that economic growth and prosperity can be achieved with ecological integrity.
China president, Mr. Xi Jinping, once said “We should pursue harmony between man and nature as well as harmony between the economy and society, in order to have clear waters and green mountains along with mountains of gold and silver.”
Now, let us go back to the philosophy of fengshui. The Chinese words ‘feng’ and ‘shui’ refer to ‘wind’ and ‘water’ respectively. It evolves from a concept about the interconnections between man and environment.
In fengshui, we look at creating harmonious living spaces that are in balance with the natural world. Be it a nation or business development, or the management of daily lives, greening concepts and green practices are essential for us to protect our environment in order to maintain quality of life and safeguard the future for the later generations. Are you doing your part? It’s never too early to start green living.
With over 35 years of experience under our belt, Way Fengshui has played a significant role in the construction and development of various renowned projects all around the globe.
Not only will we cater to the fengshui needs of our clients based on the environment, but also provide practical advice and solutions at every phase for optimal results. We design environments, craft landscapes, and plan milestones to maximise your opportunities and potential.
Find out more about how fengshui concepts can be applicable to your home, office and property development here.
About the author:
Founding Way Geomancy Centre in 1984, now known as Way Fengshui Group, Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong is also an artist, writer and philosopher. With over 30 years of experience as Chief Geomancer, he has conducted more than 1000 seminars worldwide.