feng shui

Ancient Chinese skill of keeping a balance of forces in the land. The land is regarded as living, and as reflecting the pattern of heaven, so that any development must be in harmony with this pattern.

When building or planting, or altering the landscape in any way, and when choosing a grave site for an ancestor, the traditional Chinese aim to balance the forces of yin and yang, the two counter-balancing forces of the universe. For example, hills and mountains are pictured as dragons, full of yin, while valleys are seen as tigers, embodying the balancing yang force.