Related reports by Liu Shiyun

Feng Shui in Ganzhou is a good deal with its people

——Interview with Liu Shiyun, a famous Feng Shui cultural scholar in Ganzhou

"Business·Tourism" reporter He Haitao and Yang Heping

Mid-autumn in August, the weather starts to get cooler. We came to Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, the birthplace of Chinese Feng Shui culture.

Ganzhou deserves to be a famous historical and cultural city. The streets are neat and tidy, with lush flowers and green trees beside the roads; taxi drivers are polite and passers-by speak kindly; Ganzhou dialect is sweet, crisp, gentle, and murmurs pleasantly. When you first enter Ganzhou, you can feel the civilized atmosphere of Ganzhou people who have been influenced by Feng Shui culture.

We climbed to the top floor of Ganlong Hotel and went to the office building of "Ganzhou Yang Poverty Relief Feng Shui Culture Research Center" as scheduled to interview Mr. Liu Shiyun, a famous Feng Shui master in Ganzhou. While shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, we immediately felt that Mr. Liu was a good-natured and well-behaved person. A slightly rich but strong body, a rosy complexion, and a slightly upturned, broad lip, reveal a profound academic, calm and resolute character. Looking around the building, although there are old tables and chairs and no luxurious decorations, there are full bookcases, piles of manuscripts, bright and clean windows, elegant tea sets, and a huge Feng Shui compass and teaching blackboard placed against the wall. Looking out the window, the view is wide. Surrounded by three rivers outside the city, the waves are as bright as water. In the distance, the peaks and mountains are green and dark. The city and surrounding landscapes become more elegant and beautiful in the setting sun in autumn. Climbing to the Si Tower, the scenery is leisurely, the mind is relaxed and the body is relaxed, and enlightenment is born.

Mr. Liu said that Ganzhou has a long history, beautiful mountains and rivers, rich products and rich humanities. It was the land of Baiyue in ancient times. The county system was established in the Han Dynasty, and counties, prefectures, roads, roads, and prefectures were set up here in the past dynasties. A city was established during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and was named Ganzhou during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty. Ganzhou is the birthplace of Neo-Confucianism and Feng Shui culture in the Song and Ming Dynasties. Ganzhou is not a self-proclaimed historical and cultural city. We looked through his collection of poems, songs, poems and anecdotes left by heroes and celebrities from past dynasties in Ganzhou, such as Su Shi, Meng Haoran, Huang Tingjian, Xin Qiji, Zhu Xi, Wen Tianxiang, Wang Yangming, Jiang Jingguo, etc. Book.

Mr. Liu said that the term Feng Shui originated from Guo Pu's "Burial Book" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It said: "The method of Feng Shui is to obtain water first, and to hide the wind secondly. The shallow and deep can be used, and Feng Shui is self-made." Qiao Xiang's "Feng Shui Bian" of the Ming Dynasty also said: "The so-called wind refers to the hidden wind in the mountain. , the soil color is solid and thick, and the wind blows from all directions. The so-called water refers to the high and dry terrain, which is not close to the skin; if the water is curved and curved, it is Its second meaning is. "Based on various theories, "Feng Shui" can be described as: when people choose a building location, they comprehensively evaluate the relationship between various architectural environment factors such as geology and landforms and good or bad luck, as well as the summary of various taboos in architectural construction. Generalization.

There are many reasons why Ganzhou has become the birthplace of Feng Shui culture. The first is after the Jin Dynasty's eastward journey and the Anshi Rebellion, until the Qing Dynasty. People from the Central Plains moved south in large numbers, and intellectuals brought spiritual civilization to the south. Ganzhou became a settlement for the so-called Hakka people who moved south. This place has mountains and water, warm climate, abundant products and developed economy. Compared with the war-torn north, the south is relatively peaceful and peaceful. The ancestors who migrated south sought to avoid evil and seek good fortune, and prayed for peace and blessings. "If you have enough warehouses, you will know etiquette and justice." Therefore, the custom of Feng Shui flourished in Ganzhou; secondly, after the Song Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming Dynasties and Yangming’s Psychology had a profound influence here, so Fengshui had a good spiritual environment suitable for its development; thirdly, the development of Fengshui It is closely related to the ethics and etiquette concepts of Ganzhou Hakka people. Hakka people value filial piety, respect etiquette, and respect their ancestors. When a parent dies and is grieving, he misses his upbringing and often feels guilty. In order to express my grief and remember my kindness, I always hope to find a good place to bury my parents with beautiful mountains and clear waters, which can avoid drought and flood ants, and also conforms to the rule of "burial takes advantage of the vitality, the body can provide shade, and the vitality responds". In this way, the traditional civilization of filial piety, ethics and etiquette found a carrier in the Feng Shui technique at the tomb.

He specially said that the reason why Ganzhou became the birthplace of Chinese Feng Shui culture was due to the late Tang Xizong, a doctor named Jin Ziguanglu who was in charge of Lingtai geography. His name was Yang Yi and his courtesy name was Yang Yi. Junsong's court official. He was in charge of palace architecture, astronomical observation and sacrificial rituals. Later Huang Chao captured Chang'an. Yang Yi privately took the Feng Shui secrets that the palace had monopolized for a long time and fled Chang'an. He moved around and traveled to southern Jiangxi, a beautiful land of Feng Shui and culture. He devoted himself to research, practice and teaching as apprentices. Because of his virtues and skills, he helped the poor and the weak, and the people respectfully called him "Yang Jie". Therefore, it is famous far and wide, and its popularity continues to this day. He promoted Feng Shui theory in Ganzhou.

According to the "Personnel Instructions", his works include: "The Sutra of Suspicious Dragons", "The Sutra of Shaking the Dragon", "Four Acupoints", "Pictures of Standing Cones", "Pictures of Pulling Sand", etc.

Mr. Liu said that there are many famous people in the history of Feng Shui in southern Jiangxi. There are 111 Feng Shui celebrities in the past dynasties listed in the "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books, Collection of Museums, and Biographies of Celebrities in the Kanyu Department" and its appendix, including 48 people from Jiangxi, accounting for more than 40% of the total. 80% of Jiangxi Feng Shui celebrities are from Ganzhou. "Jiangxi Tongzhi" records that the Ming Tombs (Ming Tombs) that exist in Beijing today were selected and positioned by Liao Junqing, one of the many famous Feng Shui masters in Ganzhou. Because he brought good luck to the royal family by surveying and selecting sites for royal burials in the Ming Dynasty, he was rewarded by the emperor with promotions and titles. Today, there are hundreds of people engaged in Feng Shui profession in Ganzhou, and Feng Shui has become a deeply rooted folk custom in Ganzhou. Many ancient books record the popularity of Feng Shui in Ganzhou's history.

Mr. Liu said with emotion that Feng Shui folk custom is a traditional Chinese cultural phenomenon, a theory about the relationship between the environment and human beings, and Feng Shui is about "anger". It attributes the movement and changes of all things in the world to the movement of "animation". In ancient China, when science was not yet developed, it used "qi" and "qi" to explain the ever-changing world with unpredictable misfortunes and blessings. It should be said that this is a manifestation of simple materialism. The layout and design of houses based on Feng Shui are no longer just about the comfort and convenience of people's lives. In ancient times and even in modern times when traditional Chinese etiquette thoughts were dominant, feudal etiquette thoughts such as the "Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules", elders respecting the younger, and men being superior to women also penetrated into the layout and design of residences. The layout of walled courtyards, stepped gatehouses, halls and bedrooms all embodies many constraints such as the distinction between inside and outside, the rule of the sons, the eight trigrams of yin and yang, etc. This makes the pattern and form of the house itself a way to "cultivate oneself" and "keep the family in order" A place of moral education. "Huangdi's House Sutra Preface": "The husband's house is the hub of yin and yang and the track of human relations. Unless you are a wise man and a wise man, you cannot understand this." In other words, the house should not only be the intersection and balance of yin and yang between heaven and earth, It is a place for people’s material life, and it should also be the spatial existence mode of people’s social and spiritual life standards. It is the unity of the natural attributes and social attributes of architecture. Residential construction is a profound knowledge. Those who are not "natural experts" cannot understand its mysteries deeply. The ancients believed that in order to govern the country, we must first govern the family. Only by combining good Feng Shui with humanistic education can we achieve "family prosperity" and then realize the ultimate ambition of "governing the country, enlightening morality and bringing peace to the world". Yang Yi wrote in his book "The Jade Ruler Classic·Zhuji Fu": "I often hear about heroes and heroes, and it is really the spirit of Zhong Yuedu. Therefore, when the dragon comes to enter the game, there are inherent clear and turbid paths. When a group of sand gathers together, how can it be done? There is no reaction of good or bad." It means that the beauty of mountains and rivers can affect people. "Outstanding people" are due to "land spirits". Similarities and differences in the environment will lead to good and bad luck.

The ancient Chinese believed deeply that there is a profound and unpredictable causal relationship between heaven, earth and man. In order to find a feng shui treasure land that is in harmony with nature and people, and benefits from the earth's veins, Feng Shui has established a set of specific principles based on the traditional Chinese philosophical thoughts embodied in the "Book of Changes" and "Yi Zhuan" and the laws of the sequence of life in the universe. principles and methods. I believe that this explanation of the role of nature and human beings, the internal connection and induction relationship of all things, and the causal arrangement of "images, numbers, and principles" in the development and change process of things have their rationality and scientific. The correct attitude towards Feng Shui cultural heritage should be: remove the dross, absorb the essence, serve accurately, and be honest.

Mr. Liu said that there is no doubt that due to historical reasons and the influence of modern utilitarian thinking, there are not many good people in the Feng Shui industry: there are so many Feng Shui masters, good and bad, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false. Some charlatans have neither theoretical rules nor performance practice, so they pretend to practice Feng Shui by using some fake Feng Shui tips and fragments of words, walking from village to town, talking like a river, and talking endlessly. Some Feng Shui masters have shallow knowledge, low taste, do not know how to pretend to understand, talk nonsense, and say many ignorant things. Some self-proclaimed "famous Feng Shui masters" make jokes out of Feng Shui classics such as "Yi and C meet to make Xu, Xin and Ren meet to gather together". If you don't understand the "Nine Stars Method", you will say, "Can the nine stars in the sky take care of things underground?" If you don't understand the compass, then you will say that the traditional Feng Shui compass is all wrong. In the application of the rules of form and qi, we completely do not understand or ignore the warning that "souls are dependent on each other, and yin ghosts become yang gods; souls are in conflict, and yang gods become yin ghosts." There are so many evils, and they are so absurd that they are so sad!

Mr. Liu’s rigorous, rational, and smooth introduction to the cultural connotation of Feng Shui made us feel refreshed and made us feel enlightened.

We learned that Mr. Liu is from Ganzhou, Jiangxi. Before the "Cultural Revolution", he graduated from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Jiangxi Institute of Education. After the "Cultural Revolution", he was admitted to and graduated from the Department of Agriculture of Beijing Agricultural University. . In the 1970s, a young man began to learn Feng Shui from a teacher when he was still working at home. Today, his bookcase contains more than 70 calligraphy manuscripts with beautiful handwriting and ancient printed copies with rough imprints passed down to him by his ancestors. Because he is talented and hard-working, he has a profound knowledge of Feng Shui, has made many achievements in practice, and has an excellent reputation. Over the years, his Feng Shui achievements have spread all over Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai, Shandong, Beijing, and Heilongjiang. Many Feng Shui masters have become good friends with him. His conduct earned him the respect of his disciples and dignitaries. The Chinese community in Southeast Asia has many contacts with him and often asks him for advice on Feng Shui.

We also saw the "Invitation Letter" sent to him in 2000 by Chairman Wu Cheng of the Federation of Thai Chambers of Commerce and Chairman Zheng Jilie of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangkok, Thailand. In addition to expressing respect for Mr. Liu's excellent character, erudition, and profound attainments in Feng Shui, the article also specially invited him to give lectures in Bangkok and personally attend the "Feng Shui Forum Conference" for guidance. In the autumn and winter of 2004, Mr. Wang Jianmin, the president of the Malaysian Feng Shui Federation, and Master Datuk Ye Chenghai from Malaysia visited Mr. Liu in Ganzhou. Highly praised for his character and knowledge. President Wang Jianmin has invited Mr. Liu to give lectures and guidance in Kuala Lumpur as soon as possible. We also reviewed Mr. Liu’s recent photos and commendation text published in Malaysia’s “Xuanji” magazine.

In the conversation, we felt that his writing skills and Feng Shui theoretical foundation were very solid. His vernacular translations of many ancient Feng Shui classics are familiar, clear and concise; his analysis and comments on Feng Shui schools are methodical and sophisticated; and when he judges the good or bad of Feng Shui patterns, his tone of voice is bright and clear, and his eyes are bright. Cai’s demeanor left a very deep impression on us.

Although he is busy with business, he still keeps writing. We have browsed some of his writings: "A Brief History of the Development of Chinese Feng Shui", "Detailed Explanation of the 52 Levels of the Chinese Compass", "Analysis of Classics in the Complete Collection of Siku Quanshu", "Textual Research and Vernacular Interpretation of Guo Pu's "Burial Book" of Jin Dynasty", "Vernacular Interpretation of Yang Junsong's Jade Ruler Sutra", "Analysis of Yang Junsong's "Secret Purpose of Dividing Gold"", "Summary of the Secret Purposes of Hongluan in the Qing Dynasty", and "Key Points for Course Selection".

At the end of the interview and about to say goodbye, I once again looked at the inscription hanging in his office building that was given to Mr. Liu by the famous calligrapher, 88-year-old Mr. Yuan Qingyi: one that read "Rigorous" , open and elegant.” Another painting reads, "The spring breeze is elegant and can contain things, but the autumn water and articles are not stained by dust." I think this may be the most authentic portrayal of Mr. Liu’s knowledge, intelligence and character.