Feng Shui History

the story of Classical Feng Shui in China and the West from 221 BC to 2012 AD

Stephen Skinner

Feng Shui History tracks the evolution of feng shui in detail in China from 221 BC till the present day, and then its spread throughout SE Asia, and finally to the rest of the world in the last 35 years. This has never been done before in English. The only information on the history of feng shui occurs as scattered chapters in a number of books, but these books often repeat the same tired generalisations, and include many largely erroneous statements such as:

1. "Feng shui is 6000 years old." In fact the characters 'feng shui' were not used in this context before 320 CE. Even the older names (ti li, kan yi, etc.) for this practice do not occur in any surviving texts before 221 BC.

2. "Feng shui derives from the Yi Jing." In fact, apart from the 8 trigrams being used as basic directional indicators, no feng shui compass shows the 60 hexagrams till 1600 CE, and not the full 64 hexagrams till 1824.

3. "The feng shui compass derives from a magnetised spoon revolving on a plate." In fact this incorrect deduction made by Wang Chen-To in 1946 (and later reluctantly repeated by Needham) was completely discredited by several researchers in the 1990s.

This book has been meticulously researched, from authoritative Chinese texts and the analysis of many antique lo p'ans, and gives the real history of feng shui. It contains the biographical details of many masters, and tracks the developments and people involved in propagating feng shui in the US, UK, Europe and China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, in the 20th and 21st century, right up to date in 2012. It clearly shows the different feng shui methods and masters, and how they relate to each other.

Guide to the Feng Shui Compass or lo p'an :

a Compendium of Classical feng shui. Including a history of feng shui, a detailed description of 75 rings of the lo p'an, and a feng shui time line.

Stephen Skinner

Material never before available in English…and difficult to find even in Chinese

How to read the San He and San Yuan lo p'an, with an explanation of each ring in detail, the history and background of feng shui and the lo p'an (luo pan).

This large book is 448 pages in size, and packed with detailed information which is very clearly explained, so that after reading it anyone should be comfortable reading even the most complex lo p'an. This book is the result of 30 years of research and practice. More than 50 rings are illustrated, tabulated, and classified by Plate and School, with their use and history. Anyone reading the book can go from being a complete novice to complete familiarity with any lo p'an, ancient or modern that they may pick up. It clearly explains for the first time in English how feng shui developed and the relationship between the San He and San Yuan Schools.

There are over 65 Tables, more than 174 illustrations, and 32 full colour plates. These include rare pictures and analyses of Ming and Ch'ing (Qing) dynasty lo p'ans.

Every technical term, book title, or person's name, is carefully footnoted in traditional Chinese characters with supporting pinyin and Wade-Giles transliterations. There is a also a detailed feng shui history time line.

The book may not be available through bookstores.

"No Classical feng shui practitioner can afford to be without this book.”

Partial List of Contents

A Short History of Feng Shui

History of the Compass - Misconceptions

The Shih Board

The Chai Ching Earth Plate

Reading the Lo P’an

How to Align the Lo P’an

Tricks of the Trade

How to Buy a Lo P’an

Physical Structure of the Lo P’an

The Rings of the Lo P’an

Rings, Plates and Needles

Mistaken Western Identifications

The 4 Seasons and Celestial Animals of the Quarters

The 8 Wandering Stars of the 8 Mansions or pa chai

The 8 Mountain Killings or yao sha

The 9 Numbers of the Lo Shu

The 9 Flying Stars or fei hsing

The 10 Heavenly Stems or t’ien kan

The 12 Earthly Branches or ti chih

The 12 Life Stages Palaces or kung

The 12 Yellow Springs or huang ch'üan

The 24 Mountains or shan

The 24 Robbery Sha or chieh sha

The 60 Sexagenary Combinations or chia tzu

The 60 Earth-Penetrating Dragons or tou ti lung

The 72 Mountain-Piercing Dragons or chuan shan lung

The 120 Golden Divisions or fen chin

The 240 Golden Divisions or fen chin

The 12 Jupiter Years or tz’u

The 12 Provincial divisions or fen yeh

The 24 Heaven Stars or t'ien hsing

The 24 Mini-Seasons or chieh ch’i

The 28 Lunar Mansions or hsiu

The 60 Uneven Dragons or ying so

The 365.25 Chinese day-degrees or tu

The 360 new Western degrees or hsien tu

The 940 Degrees of the Complete Calendar or shou shih li

The 12 Sovereign Hexagrams or p’i kua

The 60 Root Hexagrams or pen kua (San He)

The 64 Hexagrams or kua

The 384 Hexagram lines or kua yao

The ‘Alphabet’ of Feng Shui

Chinese Dynasties and Feng Shui Chronology

Catalogue of Common Lo P'an Rings

Classics of Feng Shui Series

Editions by Stephen Skinner of 18th century Chinese feng shui classics by Chang Ping Lin

These books are a strictly limited edition, and only available from here

none will be available in bookshops

Volume I: The Water Dragon

Stephen Skinner
　

Water Dragon formulas are key feng shui formulas which show how water should be organized outside a house to provide the maximum benefit. They are usually associated with creating and increasing wealth.

This Water Dragon text  comes from a collection of key feng shui texts collected during the reign of the Emperor Ch’ien Lung (Qianlong), by Chang Ping Lin a feng shui master from Fukien in the early 18th century. This text is from an authentic source, which has never previously been available in English. Its formulas, some of which are derived from Yang Kung (Yang Yun Sung, fl. 888 AD), are clear and easy to apply, provided you have an a lo p’an.

Original Imperial Water Dragon formula from the 18th century, with original Chinese text on facing pages.

Volume II: The Original Eight Mansions Formula

Stephen Skinner
　

The Original Chou Shu Door Opening Method, the key to Eight Mansions feng shui from a rare 1739 text. Originally the Eight Mansions formula was used to determine the best main door positions. The positioning of the main door is much more critical than the utilisation of the interior rooms. This formula finally solves the problem that has perplexed many modern practitioners: as to which (the building or the apartment) entrance should be used for feng shui calculations.

The present text dates back more than 250 years. It predates many Chinese texts, and is definitely much older and more authentic than anything else available in English on the Eight Mansions. This classic examines each of the 24 Mountain sitting positions. The translation comes with facing Chinese text, and the original illustrations.

LIMITED EDITION

64 pages

hardback with dust wrapper

ISBN: 978-0-9547639-4-7

Out of Print

Volume III: The Key San He Feng Shui Formulas

Volume IV: Mountain Dragon Formulas

Stephen Skinner

This book contains authentic yin feng shui Mountain Dragon formulas. It was compiled in the early Ch’ing Dynasty, but the formulas date back to the T’ang. It is translated from the Chinese with illustrations and facing the original woodblock Chinese text.

Original Imperial Mountain Dragon formulas from the 18th century, with original Chinese text on facing pages.