Feng Shui and the ‘Meaning of Space’

Feng Shui and the City examines the past and contemporary influences of Feng Shui on Chinese built environments across three domains: domestic space, spaces of commercial development and the public realm. This opening chapter introduces the meaning and origins of Feng Shui before examining the way that places/spaces everywhere are the products of cultural praxis. Societies imprint their values onto the spaces of their dwelling: the production of space is a social process. From that position, the chapter outlines a perspective on Feng Shui and the City which uses Lefebvre’s (1991) notion of absolute and abstract space: spaces of ‘cosmic naturalness’, ‘symbolic existence’ and ‘everyday life’ versus spaces of domination and control. It is proposed that Feng Shui, as cultural referent, has transitioned from symbolism to an instrument of commodification: a proposition then tested in two cases, which set up a broader discussion of modern Feng Shui’s authenticity.