RAS-1994 — Page 125

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Appendix A

Ernest J. Eitel, Hong Kong civil servant and historian, in his book, Feng-Shui, first published in 1882, wrote the following:

Feng shui may contain a bushel of wisdom, but it scarcely contains a handful of commonsense. It is simply the blind gropings of the Chinese mind after a system of natural sciences.

How does this view compare with the opinions of some Westerners today, to whom the author posed the question, 'Do you believe in fung shui?' Although some answers have been written into the text of this response, some are listed below. In some cases, answers have been condensed:

'No, I don't believe.'

'There must be something in it.'

'I don't know much about it.'

'Not really. A lot is superstition. I lived in a house with a very low rent in Tokyo purely because it was close to a crematorium. You could see the smoke coming out of the chimney.'

'Yes, everyone likes to have furniture arranged properly. All know the soothing effect of running water. It makes you feel good. If someone tells me to put my chair in a certain position, I'll put it in that position.'

Fung shui is one of the few Chinese terms that many people living in Europe understand.'

'I believe in the practical aspects, not the mumbo jumbo.'

'Depends what you mean by fung shui.'

'...conducive to relaxation.'

'Too much trouble, I can't be bothered.'

'I believe certain things are...'

'In the old days it was sensible and based on practical application before it...'.