Detailed explanation of the six wealth-gathering Feng Shui designs of Shanxi courtyard

Detailed explanation of the six wealth-gathering Feng Shui designs of Shanxi courtyard
Introduction: When we talk about Shanxi’s glorious economic moments, we immediately think of Shanxi merchants, whose trade routes stretched thousands of miles and whose funds flowed all over the world. The residential courtyards scattered across the land of Shanxi bear witness to the past glory of Shanxi merchants. So, what is so desirable about the design of the courtyards in Shanxi? What is the Feng Shui design of Shanxi Courtyard for wealth gathering? Let’s take a look at it together below! Mr. Shui Mo’s Feng Shui special topic contains more articles about Feng Shui, allowing you to understand Feng Shui knowledge more quickly.

1. Orderly layout and clear priorities

Most of the houses in Shanxi have a left-right symmetrical structure, with the main courtyard higher than the bottom, a wide atrium, and a clear hierarchy. The main courtyard is spacious, the main house is tall, and the wing rooms are lower and smaller than the main house.

Rooms with good feng shui are the first choice for respected elders. The main house and main hall in the main courtyard not only have higher roofs than the wing rooms, but also have one or two more steps. In addition to living, receiving guests and discussing matters, the upstairs is generally used as a Buddhist temple and book storage. The wing rooms in the upper courtyard are arranged with the elder brother on the east and the younger brother on the west, and the lower courtyard is arranged in the same way for the next generation. The south building is an embroidery building or a boudoir, with maids on the lower floor and young ladies on the upper floor. Their residences, whether the front hall or the hall, are obviously retracted backwards, intended to reflect the concept of "women who keep their heads down and retreat cannot make a name for themselves" in etiquette.

2. There are many stone talismans outside the courtyard to ward off evil spirits

In the old days, a small stone tablet with "Taishan Shi Gan Dang" engraved on it was often erected at the main door of a house, or at a place facing a bridge or an alley entrance, or at the corner of a wall directly in front of a street or alley gate, to suppress bad luck and avoid evil spirits.

Shanxi Compound is naturally no exception in this regard. For example, on the front wall of the Qiao Family Courtyard facing the two alleys, there is a stone talisman, one of which is made into a screen wall. While warding off evil spirits, it also protects the safety of the people in the courtyard.

3. The main door is usually located in the southeast.

The door is the face. In old buildings, one could tell the owner’s social status just by looking at the door. The courtyards in Shanxi are mostly rectangular, narrow from east to west and long from north to south, with the gates mostly located in the southeast corner, which is called "qiangyang" among the people.

According to Feng Shui, the gates of two courtyards should not face each other, so as to prevent evil spirits from entering and financial energy from leaking out. Therefore, the gates of the courtyards in Shanxi are not facing each other, but slightly staggered, which is very obvious between the courtyards in the courtyard.

4. The layout of the compound follows the principles of Feng Shui

The houses of Shanxi merchants all look like castles, surrounded by closed brick walls. Each branch of the compound is designed with all the necessary facilities. Building houses in the east, west, south and north of a courtyard is called "a complete house". A local proverb says, "If there is east but no west, there will be no old wife; if there is west but no east, there will be no husband; only in the north room, there will be a king but no ministers."

Starting from the courtyard gate, the ground gradually rises inside, and there are many steps at the main house at the end, which conforms to the Feng Shui saying "low in front and high in the back, which means descendants will be heroes."

Although there are several symmetrical courtyards, their respective gates have to be moved to the side. Feng Shui believes that door facing door is like mouth facing mouth. If the big mouth eats the small mouth, it will lead to discord between father and son, quarrels between brothers, disharmony between sisters-in-law, and jealousy between aunts and sisters-in-law.

The specific layout of the courtyard is completely in accordance with Feng Shui theory. The main room in the auspicious position is used for the owner's living, while the main room in the inauspicious position can be arranged as a warehouse or toilet.

5. Screen wall to store wind and gather energy

One of the characteristics of Shanxi merchants' courtyards is the large number of various types of screen walls. The one outside the door is called a screen wall, and the one inside the door is called a screen wall. Screen walls and shadow walls are both feng shui walls.

Feng Shui is about guiding air. There is a saying in "Water Dragon Sutra" that "going straight will harm the population", so the air flow cannot go straight into the living room or bedroom, otherwise it will be unlucky.

Screen walls and screen walls can block airflow, slow down the airflow, and thus coordinate the energy inside and outside the house. Screen walls and screen walls can also block the line of sight, keep the air flowing, and allow wealth to circulate fully in the house, which is consistent with the Feng Shui principle of "curves are affectionate".

In addition, wooden screens are often placed in the halls connecting the inner and outer courtyards, and their function is equivalent to that of a screen wall.

The patterns on these screen walls, facing walls and folding screens are very exquisite, and most of them imply auspiciousness, self-cultivation and mind-nourishing.

6. Other wealth-gathering designs

1. No windows on the exterior wall

There are few windows on the outer walls, and the windows generally open into the courtyard, meaning to preserve wealth.

If ventilation is needed to the outside, a few small octagonal windows are opened high on the outer wall. The meaning of the Eight Diagrams is taken to suppress evil and avoid evil. There are four, six or eight doors, but never ten, in order to prevent "getting lost".

2. Keep your money within your reach

There is a saying in "Water Dragon Sutra" that "where water accumulates, there must be a dragon's lair; where water flows, the air must be dispersed to be unbearable." This shows how much importance people attach to water. Therefore, the roofs of the side houses in various courtyards mostly adopt inward-facing single-slope roofs, and rainwater flows into the courtyard, in line with the idea of ​​"water does not flow outward". The accumulated water can only be discharged after it flows into the underground canal.

Since water flow is directly related to wealth, if the drainage is too smooth, it may lead to financial loss. In order to make it meander, the water must be guided towards auspicious locations. Barriers are also set up in front of some water outlets to force it to change course. But in any case, the water outlet must be carved into various animal heads to show auspiciousness.

Moreover, the sewers are not in a straight line, but wind around the door from left to right to form a "channel around the door", which means "water flows around the door, and money comes rolling in."
Summary: After reading the introduction in the above article, we have learned some of the secrets and considerations of Feng Shui designed for wealth accumulation in Shanxi Courtyard. From site selection to construction and decorative details, it reflects the profoundness of Chinese traditional culture everywhere. It is also a classic work that integrates all the essence of Feng Shui.

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