Feng shui ‘has role to play’ in architecture

Pham Cuong is a member of the Feng Shui Board and manages the the Centre for Research of Principles of Ancient Oriental Astrology’s Hanoi office. He talked about his career and passion.

When did you start studying feng shui and what sources of information did you use to do so?

My friends often say that I have a natural bond with feng shui. While many architects of my generation just work on their own architectural projects, I have devoted my life to observing and studying feng shui.

My grandfather was a Confucian scholar. As you know, in the past, there was a strong relationship between Confucianism, medicine and divination; feng shui is a branch of divination.

As a child, my grandfather’s feng shui inspired models and drawings really fascinated me. Furthermore, my father, an associate professor of history, brought many issues regarding feng shui to my attention, making me more curious about it.

But my first serious studies of feng shui started in my university years. At that time, information about feng shui was scarce. Besides a small number of my grandfather’s hand-written books, I was given some copies of feng shui books by a friend of mine, which were published before the Liberation day in 1975.

What inspired you to attach yourself and your work to feng shui?

Several years after my graduation, I had an opportunity to participate in a big construction project. My partners were very careful and concerned about feng shui, so they invited some high calibre researchers including Mr Nguyen Vu Tuan Anh, the Director of the Centre for Research of Principles of Ancient Oriental Astrology, to work with them. Over the course of the project, Tuan Anh and I spent lots of time discussing feng shui, and I was convinced by his reasonable, logical and objective arguments. Subsequently, I enrolled in one of his first courses on feng shui at his centre.

Having attained excellent results, I was invited to become a member of the Fengshui board. I am now the manager of the centre’s representative office in Ha Noi, which provides me with a very good environment for studying feng shui.

In your opinion, are there any disadvantages or contradictions to applying modern architecture and feng shui to a project at the same time? In what way can they interact with one another?

I think that modern architecture and feng shui should be combined in harmony with each other to reach the pinnacle of each school of thought. Even though these two subjects came from different cultures of the West and the East, they both have the final goal of making living places convenient, clean and safe.

Can you provide a synopsis of your speech at the conference held by the Centre for research of principles of ancient oriental astrology on December 15?

I participated in the recent conference with a speech on two topics. The first was “The scientific nature of feng shui and modern architecture,” in which we analysed the similarities between these two subjects in order to affirm that feng shui has its own scientific nature and that we need to respect and study it in a serious way.

In my second topic called “Applying feng shui to architecture and business, the issues an entrepreneur needs to know,” I introduced the application of feng shui at several projects across the world in general and Viet Nam in particular. We also pointed out the keys to success for entrepreneurs when applying feng shui to their trading purposes.

What are the main goals and activities of the Centre for Research of Principles of Ancient Oriental Astrology? Since the very first days of establishment, what has the Centre achieved?

Our main activities are studying Eastern divination and related issues in forecasting such as I Ching, feng shui and physiognomy. Furthermore, we also spend time researching ancient history and culture.

The activities at our centre are divided into two main parts: feng shui research and consultancy, and training the public. During our studying time, we also publish books and hold scientific talks and conferences on related issues. Our recent conference was among one of those typical events.

There are many engaging activities on the centre’s website, drawing the interest of many people.

Can you explain more about the content of the feng shui courses held by the centre? What will trainees gain after taking on of those courses?

Through the website, we hold two different online courses. The one-year course is for those who have a great passion for feng shui and want to become professional researchers. The second lasts only three months with the purpose of introducing a basic knowledge of yin and yang and the five natural basic elements. This is for beginners who have started studying feng shui and other eastern divination subjects.

Why should people trust the courses and register? Should lay people take a course when they have already been given advice by an architect?

We have very few difficulties in attracting trainees to our courses because the scientific nature of feng shui as well as other eastern divination subjects are clearly and logically shown on our website.

Furthermore, not many architects have extensive knowledge of feng shui because it has not been introduced into training programmes in schools and universities of architecture.

Therefore, people who want to construct houses or buildings should learn more about feng shui in order to avoid or to make good the defects of their projects.

Have feng shui and its researchers ever been compared to impulsive soothsaying and fortune tellers? How do you distinguish feng shui from superstition and ensure the centre’s credibility?

In my opinion, a fortune teller only gives partial advice about feng shui and cannot point out it’s scientific nature. Most tellers only know a little bit about the basic ways of applying feng shui to construction, but not many of them know the correct ways. On the contrary, our centre has spent a lot of time in studying feng shui on a systematic, clear scientific basis.

To highlight this, at our recent conference, there were many articles which explained in detail the scientific nature of fengshui.

What have you and the centre done to introduce fengshui into the curriculum at architecture universities and schools?

First of all, we have pointed out the scientific and logical nature of feng shui in many documents and at the recent conference, in which we invited a lot of scientists from universities and representatives from the Viet Nam Association of Architects. We hope that after this conference, the appropriate authorities, who have the same sense of purpose, will support us and gradually carry out this expectation. I think that a lack of knowledge of feng shui is a big disadvantage for architecture and construction students.

Are you satisfied with the results of the conference? What was its most positive outcome?

This conference was one of two events that drew the attention of many scientists and the press. While the first conference just introduced the basic principles of feng shui, the second explained the scientific nature and revealed some of feng shui’s secrets. I am very happy to see its success. At first, we only intended to invite about 200 people. It was beyond our expectations that over 300 participants took part. So far, we have received lots of positive feedback, especially from architectural experts.

VietNamNet/VNS

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