[Baking Typewriter] Feng Shui in Search of Harmony Meets the Humanities and Science

Feng shui remains one of the most influential traditional folk beliefs today. When choosing a home, people consider whether the windows face south, which direction to place their head when sleeping, or where to position a mirror—all of these are related to feng shui. Even when a family elder passes away, people often turn to feng shui for guidance. They consult feng shui experts when selecting a burial site. Even if there is some skepticism about feng shui, there is a saying that it is better to follow what the expert says than to risk misfortune by ignoring their advice.

The new book by Korea’s leading saju and feng shui expert, former Professor Kim Dugyu of Woosuk University, titled "How Feng Shui Leads Wealth and Power," seeks to reframe feng shui not as superstition or divination, but as a framework for spatial interpretation that runs through urban planning, architecture, art, saju, and burial practices. Drawing from familiar scenes around us—such as Samsung repurchasing its Seocho headquarters in 2024 after selling it in 2018, LS Cable locating its headquarters in Gyeonggi Province instead of Seoul, and the Financial Supervisory Service using a side entrance as its main access route instead of the main gate—the book poses the question, "How do the arrangement and flow of spaces influence the choices of organizations and individuals?"

The book also delves into a topic that always draws interest: money. The author notes that founders in the past were sensitive to feng shui, highlighting Samsung Group’s founder Lee Byung-chul as a prime example. In 1967, at his father’s behest, Lee relocated his grandfather’s grave to a propitious site in Imok-dong, Suwon. His father had attempted the relocation seven or eight times but never succeeded in finding such an auspicious site, so Lee fulfilled that goal instead. He even recorded the history of these relocations on the epitaph. However, the author argues that while Gangnam is now a place where the wealthy live, it is not a place that makes people wealthy. For Gangnam to truly thrive, he suggests that water that gathers near Gangnam Station should be redirected into Banpo Stream by restoring the old waterways.

The author also advises that architects should understand feng shui. Feng shui is closely linked to the buildings erected on places where people live, work, play, rest, and trade. As an example, he cites former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s decision to move the presidential office to Yongsan. He points out, "Within less than three years of Yoon Suk-yeol moving the presidential office to Yongsan, he was impeached and imprisoned." The author repeatedly emphasizes as a feng shui scholar that the Blue House is not an inauspicious site. At the same time, he claims that the site of the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan is the land of a 'dragon in excess'—a site doomed to fail—and that before it was used as a military base by the Japanese, it was a large cemetery with countless graves.

The shape of a building is also important. According to the author, a building is a vessel for qi (energy). Therefore, a healthy building is upright, while a sick building is distorted. He states, "A building with a bad form creates visual and auditory discord. If the shape of a building is crooked or jagged, even the sound of the wind brushing past the building becomes uneven." If a building lacks visual consistency, it undermines emotional trust and can negatively affect a company’s brand image.

Above all, the author attempts to connect feng shui not just to superstition, but also to the humanities and science. He shares an anecdote about meeting renowned architect Tadao Ando. The author evaluates that Ando made efforts to interpret the land, as well as the wind, water, and light that pass over it. When the author asked, "How do you see the land?" Ando replied, "There are two things I consider important. One is the surrounding natural environment, and the other is historical context. Buildings themselves are made for people, so it is crucial to understand both the people who use them and the history of the location."

In the end, the author does not advocate blind faith in feng shui. He encourages readers to deeply examine how harmoniously concrete, earth, water, wind, and sunlight are integrated in a building. The book offers the fascinating insight that not only our lives and health, but also wealth and power, are shaped upon the land and space around us.

How Feng Shui Leads Wealth and Power | Written by Kim Dugyu | Haenam Publishing | 344 pages

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.