Tang Plaza’s Management was in Poor Health Because of Wheelock Place?

It’s survival of the fittest in Orchard Road!

If you have read or watched The Legend of the Condor Heroes, then you should know of the “Big Dipper Swordplay”. It’s rumoured that this style mimics the Big Dipper constellation and is extremely powerful. Formed by seven shining stars, the Big Dipper is often used for navigation. Thus, following the alignment of those seven stars in feng shui layouts can give excellent effects. Look at The Pinnacle@Duxton’s seven apartment blocks designed in a “Seven Stars In A Chain” formation which has brought up housing prices in the neighbourhood “Marina Bay Sands” architecture also uses a “Seven Stars” concept, creating a Seven Stars Accompanying the “Moon” feng shuiformation that has boosted commercial activity in this area.

Here’s something interesting: The Pinnacle@Duxton and Marina Bay Sands are both “man-made”Seven Stars feng shui layouts, yet they have both worked miracles. Given this, a “natural Seven Stars” formation is surely even more powerful! Singapore has just such a place: Orchard Road’s “Seven Falling Stars”formation.

Since Orchard Road belongs to the “Seven Falling Stars” feng shui formation, does that mean this area has seven star-shaped hills or structures? I have often asked Grand Master Tan about the precise location of the “Seven Stars”, but he stated that this is a National feng shui secret that cannot be revealed. However, he hinted that not all the places where the Seven Stars have “landed” can shine. Because the seven stars are linked, they care take care of and bless and each other; hence they should still be doing well! We should follow this clue to “chase the stars”.

Before going into this, let’s first understand the ancient feng shui poem in regards to the “Seven Falling Stars”:

Seven falling stars form a castle, commanding mountains and rivers;
Once fallen into the castle gates, the gold tortoise and jade rabbit will come.

Simply put, buildings on the “Seven Falling Stars” layout are ideally designed in the shape of a “castle”. Orchard Road has several big hotels, which are just like “castles”! This must be destiny.

Did you know this? Among Orchard Road’s many buildings, nine out of 10 face the Northeast/Southwest direction of chou and wei. According to ancient feng shui texts. If Wei and chou have hills facing the main entrance, the water god will send prosperity. There should be no backflow of water, for the difference is miles apart. Which means, the water outside a building should flow in and not out. Only then did I realise: no wonder Orchard Road’s malls all use different ways to draw “water” into them. For instance, Wisma Atria Shopping Centre’s design uses blue as its main colour in order to strengthen its qi.

Speaking of Orchard Road, we have to discuss Tang Plaza (also the location of a TANGS department store) at the junction of Orchard Road and Scotts Road. Tang Plaza is Singapore’s only building designed in the style of a Chinese pavilion, with a magnificent exterior that meets feng shui requirements: a palace, water, and hills. Tang Plaza’s main entrance is at Scotts Road, drawing qi into Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel’s lobby and then out to Orchard Road. This is a prosperous qi, with heavy traffic and throngs of shoppers, letting the “castle gate” receive qi.

Of course, Tang Plaza’s journey was not all smooth sailing. It’s believed that since the appearance of the “Flying Guillotine” Wheelock Place, the tree-like Tang Plaza has been suffering. There’s even wild speculation that Tang Plaza’s senior manager experienced health problems and business declined all because of the “Flying Guillotine”! We can’t deny this possibility. Fortunately, Tang Plaza’s bagua-shaped design has negated this external negative qi. Apart from feng shui reasons, we definitely mustn’t discount actual market conditions. Currently, Tang Plaza’s product range is rather mass-market, with little differentiation from other nearby shopping malls. Perhaps Tang Plaza’s management should consider focusing on high-end goods with a Chinese influence to complement its exterior architecture.

Apart from the uniquely designed Tang Plaza, Orchard road also has another feng shui masterpiece: Grand Hyatt Hotel, which inevitably reminds me of Venerable Hong Choon. Looking at the hotel’s feng shui layout, Venerable Hong Choon cleverly adjusted the original entrace to have a 45-degree slant, creating a “city gate” for “retaining qi”. Like an ancient palace, there should also be a “moat” and true enough, the Grand Hyatt has a fountain at its entrance, with water constantly spraying and flowing. Looks like Venerable Hong Choon’s Gates tactic can take much of the credit for Grand Hyatt Hotel’s lasting renown!

If you pay a little extra attention, Goodwood Park Hotel near Grand Hyatt Hotel also uses something similar to the “Gates tactic”. Did one hotel copy the other or did did Goodwood Park Hotel also enlist the services of Venerable Hong Choon? Regardless, it’s a fact that business is booming at both hotels.

Back to our topic: this unique “Seven Falling Stars” feng shui formation has a unique characteristic: it requires frequent renovations and changes to maintain freshness and shine. Not long ago, when strolling around Tang Plaza, I noticed that it’s undergoing yet another facelift with obvious feng shui features. You can also take a feng shuicompass there and have a look!

In conclusion, Orchard Road’s buildings all have their flair and it’s anyone’s guess which mall will win the retail game. I think, just like all the stars in the night sky, some will unavoidably shine brighter than others in order to form beautiful constellations.