Chinese Culture (General)

Dear Anon, I believe, not only the Chinese but Anglo-Saxons, Celtic etc... do give importance to dragons. Many of their flags or symbols have dragons on them. Likewise, the Chinese also in their own way give importance to dragons. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, Nowadays, figurines of " Kuan Kung " are displayed (usually) in the living room. Since most houses have only one living room, perhaps this is why it was mentioned that they be kept `close' to the Fu Lu Shou figurines. It is considered `not auspicious' for such figurines to be kept in the bedroom or even the study room. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Carrie, Yes, the hours are in consecutive order. Starting from the Rat hour, going one circle to the Pig hour. Please refer to the page: http://www.geomancy.net/fs/time.htm Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, From what I understand: 1. During the communist rule, although Feng Shui was `abolished', some of the elite in the Communist party continue to apply Feng Shui practises. 2. Today, and even in communist China, poorer quality Luopans were manufactured in China. 3. I understand that a small percentage of houses for the elite and even business of the People Liberation Army (PLA) which at one time owns a substantial number of business used Feng Shui. 4. Many Feng Shui practioners believe that the Bank of China building in Hong Kong had been seen by a Feng Shui Master as the building comprises two elements. 5. With the relaxation of communist rule, I believe, more an…

Dear Anon, Follow this interesting link to Introduction to Falun Gong (Falun Dafa):- http://www.mindspring.com/~falun/home1.html For a balanced view of the site, you can also visit China's website site which is titled - "Further Expose and Critize the Cult:- China.com, a different perspective Warmest Regards, Cecil

I wear a baby jade nickle around my neck. My mum tells me the jade is best when it's tied using a red string. It's known to protect you from harm. you can restore the jades power once and a while by giving it a little bath in the sea water. the jade shaped into a buddah and if blessed, it will protect you from the evil spirits. Only the real jade from the mountains has this kind of power. my jade is worth about $300 - and it's only very little! i wonder what the big jades are worth!! -Daniel

Dear Anon, 1. Perhaps is it because the Chinese husbands are afraid of being hen-pecked? *JOKE* 2. In my opinion, this is not true. Many Chinese wifes often buy chickens without emphasis on whether they are hens or roosters. Some even have preference for eating hens than roosters. So, far, not yet. I yet to see a Chinese lady hold up a chicken and look closely at its head or start prodding it's backside to find out if it is a hen or rooster. 3. But I have read that some Chinese chefs are particular about the age of the chickens. I read recently that some Chinese chefs who had opened a famous Chinese eatery servicing `Hainanese chicken' found the chickens not suitable bec…

Dear Anon, I agree with your statement that it takes lot of time and extensive research and the hardest part in translation is to interpret what was said correctly. The key essence is to complete all the translations and interpretation before one should apply the theories. Sometimes the information is no longer relevant and how does one differentiate these. In the past, a Chinese Emperor was said to have kept Feng Shui theories to himself and got his officials to plant `false' works on Feng Shui. There was even the suggestion that at one time, the Imperial Palace was constructed on `false' Feng Shui. You would have guessed, it burned down. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, Whether `red soil' is considered auspicious or inauspicious has more to do with a person's belief than Feng Shui. Most of us would have guessed that red soil if `wrongly' interpreted could mean that `bad blood' has been spilled on the ground. In Singapore, we previously have a location or hill that has this type of soil. Today, the estate is known as ` Redhill ' which literally means that there was indeed a hill with red soil at this location. Many government housing block flats were built on top of this region. I believe there are no inherent effects for the residents living there. In Feng Shui, a Traditional Master would instead look at the grain of sand on …

Dear Anon, In my opinion, there is no significance of planting red chilly plants such as `chilli padis' which are the hottest type of chillies. Those that are similar to Tabasco source but because of the high vinega content in Tabasco, it is really not as hot as those small chilli plants that some Chinese love to plant and of eat. I believe, the edible ones are planted so that they can be plucked and eated during lunch or dinner. These plants grow chillies very fast and plucking them often helps more chillies to grow. For the non-edible ones.. I am not too sure. Frankly, I have not seen a non-edible one locally. Perhaps, the owners would not bother to plant them at all. …

Dear Anon, Most couples are happy with the coming of the Dragon year. To the Chinese, it is considered auspicious to have a child born under the Dragon Year. I mentioned earlier that since this will be a popular year, there will be stiff competition when the child goes to School. Some schools even have to arrange to expand their classes or add an additional class room. One thing about Zi Wei Dou Shu or Chinese Astrology is like it's cousin the Western version of Astrology, it can try to `paint' the story for what is coming but it does not have the ability to provide a solution or cure for an individual. For example, under Pillars of Destiny, if under next year's luck pil…

Dear Anon, For those who are interested to learn about the Kings and Queens, can for example purchase or rent the show called " The Last Emperor ". I believe the lead actor is John Lone. This show traces the life of the Last Emperor of China. I believe the last king died sometime in 198x (correct me if I am wrong). When the last king set on the throne, he was only a boy. In fact contrary to popular belief, Empress Dowager, during his reign was running the Kingdom and managing the affairs. One reason why their is a rise and fall of empires is attributed to time dimension. A burial site may be auspicious at certain periods but become less auspicious in the next period. Simi…

Dear Anon, This depends on the country they stay. I believe that nowadays in China, the incident of pet dogs got stolen is minimal. Mostly, these are stray dogs where some mainland Chinese catch and eat. Otherwise, there are few exotic shops that trade in or buy dog meat. The Shitzu (I hope I spelt correctly) this intelligent dog `originated' from China. In my country, you will be surprised to learn that many are prepared to buy expensive imported pedigree dogs as pets. Dogs are not openly eated here. In Singapore, the Malay race, instead do not rear dogs at all because they find them dirty. Nor do they eat pork as they felt that this is a `dirty' animal. In other countr…

Dear Anon, This is a really good observation. 1. Ever since you posted this message, I was thinking hard and when I take my lunch or dinner, try to see if the food contains milk. 2. The only food, I recalled selling at Food Courts in Singapore is `Fish head bee hoon' or bits of fishes with noodles. This dish is `milky' and from what I understand, milk was added to the soup. This is why it becomes `white' and milky. As I lived all this while in Singapore and familar with Malaysia, from my observation, correct me if I am wrong, we I believe a `better' alternative i.e. coconut milk. Recent years, coconut milk is considered bad for health or the heart and one should cut dow…

Dear Anon, It is quite difficult for me to answer this question. This is because, there are many Chinese who have been educated in the West or some has even lost touch with their roots e.g. unable to read Mandarin or speak the tongue or language. Furthermore, good quality `antiques' or such collectables are not cheap. I personally been to lots of `Chinese' houses for visits and there are a wide range of `tastes'. Usually, the younger families have display shelves that are quite similiar as `Westerners'. Those who `pray' are buddhists, taoists or ancestor worship usually have altars in their living room. Occassionaly, they have a `Fu' or Good Luck symbol in their homes.…

Dear Anon, I remember Raymond Lo, did his own analysis of Bruce Lee's death in one of his Pillars of Destiny (on people) book. I don't have the book. You can search for it. I believe he explained it based on Pillars of Destiny. I believe, this analysis was done without mention of the position of his father's grave. Yin Feng Shui or Feng Shui for the death in relation to the location and position of graves are in my opinion, equally important in Feng Shui. Cremation is considered " neutral " and does not `impact' on the decendants. If you ask many Traditional FS Masters/Practioners, they do believe in the proper sitting of an ancestor's grave. I vaguely remember that som…

Dear Anon, I believe the older generation of Chinese, arranged marriages are very common. My parents have arranged marriages. There's is not the arrange marriage where it is determined from birth but rather later years of their life where my grandfather saw the `need' for my father to get married. I believed, he asked a matchmaker to find a match for my dad. When I was young, my parents used to bring us to visit relatives and close friends. I recalled one close friend of my family who said that she was invited to her prospective in-laws home. She was viewed from top to toe. The in-laws also looked at the type of `bone structure' and the `shape' of her legs. In a `crude w…

Dear Anon, Yes, in my opinion, this is indeed a true statement. 1. Currently in mainland China, where they have a `one' child family planning, there are many articles that mentioned the problem where the ratio of males babies are higher than female babies. Such articles, do mention that many parents had either aborted or killed/murdered female babies secretly. 2. To understand why this is happening, one can take clue to this: Chinese grand parents and even parents have a social pressure to give birth to baby boys. Why? This is because only the males can `carry' their family name. For example, the grand father's Surname is Tang, only a male child born to him can carry on …

Dear Anon, In my country, and in my opinion, the statement is no longer true for the following reasons: 1. Good quality inlaid pearl furniture especially if they are `old' are considered `antiques' and very expensive. 2. Many people nowadays (especially the middle class) can only afford `imitation' antique furniture without the pearl inlay. 3. I remember when I was young, my parents used to bring us to my auntie's parents home in Orchard Road (Singapore). Her father is a Chinese physician and I remembered clearly the beautiful pearl inlay set against many dark coloured wooden furniture. I recalled seeing motifs of leaves, flowers etc... They are really lovely. I do recall…

Dear Anon, I agree with you on the statement. In the past, this was the case. One reason for this is because, if one is rich or influential, I guess, the genes are considered (I am not sure how to call it but generally) the genes are considered `better' genes and the offsprings are `suppose' to be more intelligent. Well, the above is just a general saying and if it incurs the wrath of anyone here, than I apologise. It is just one of those `theories' I read and kept in my mind...:) In Singapore, it is now no longer possible for Chinese to marry and take on a second wife. The penalty: `Going to Jail'. Therefore, for a `FINE' country like Singapore, this acts as a deterrent…

Dear Caz, To find out more about the best or worst place for a water feature, please click on the following URLs:- http://www.geomancy.net/fs/wcourse.htm http://www.geomancy.net/fs/four.htm Under the four symbolic animals concept the best place is the frontage of the house. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, 1. Onyx comes in different colors. Some are white, some in green etc... 2. Under Chinese Astrology, for the animal sign " The Ox "; it's lucky gemstone is `White Onyx'. 3. Onyx is been sold by companies dealing with home interiors e.g. kitchen table tops, bath room tops etc... 4. It is also carved into objects e.g. swans and other figurines for display etc... I believe there is a commercial demand for it. 5. In my opinion, based on above, I do not believe that the chinese consider the onyx inauspicious unless, because perhaps could it be that these mines you mentioned are dangerous to work in. This is because some mines have dangerous gases within them. On the …

Dear Anon, To the Chinese people, especially those who know the proper Chinese Tea ceremony will follow the sitting arrangements similar to the concepts found in the Ming Tang Wei. Under this concept, guests should be sitting west and the host should sit facing east. The location facing south is reserved for the king. While the guest of honour or the most eldest guest sit facing the host while the younger guest sits to the left of the eldest left and the next younger sits the right of the eldest. In the original ancient Korean ceremony is actually meant to sit four guests on one table. On the table for the tea ceremony, one would find:- 1. A tea-plate, 2. the tea-pot 3. F…

Dear Anon, This reminds me of what my mum told me, since young that one should not wear `torn clothings' as it implies that one would become a beggar. As some beggars wear torn clothings. Again, this is a Chinese belief. More modern parents would not `blink an eye' if their children go out and purposely buy torn jeans as they are in fashion sometime back. Maybe these modern parents even actually worn torn jeans. I guess, many of us know that this conference: Chinese culture, there are really no right or wrong answers as it is routed in one's personal beliefs and experiences. Let me elaborate further on another example. Some parents belief that if they young e.g. talks fi…