Home > Bibliographies > AAST298J (Spring 2004)

Feng Shui by Mary Shum

Books

• Alexander, Jane. Spirit of the Home: How to Make Your Home a Sanctuary. New York: Watson-Guptill, 2000.
• Bramble, Cate. Architect's Guide to Feng Shui: Exploding the Myth. Boston: Architectural Press, 2003.

  Cate Bramble's book discusses the differences between the ancient art of Feng Shui as practiced by Chinese masters and the trendy, faddish Feng Shui more familiar to Westerners. She provides information how the art form can be applied to architecture and compares contemporary applications of Feng Shui in the East and West.

• Carter, Karen R. Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
• Chin, R.D and Gerald Warfield. Feng Shui Revealed: An Aesthetic Practical Approach to the Ancient Art of Space Alignment. New York: C. Potter, 1998.
• Collins, Terah K. The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Room by Room. Carlsbad: Hay House, 1999.
• Collins, Terah K. The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment. Carlsbad: Hay House, 1996.
• Diamond, Kartar. Feng Shui for Skeptics: Real Solutions Without Superstition. Culver City: Four Pillars, 2004.

  This book explores the complex and "mysterious" art of Feng Shui in a user-friendly way. Generally, Feng Shui has been viewed as a myth encompassing a placebo effect, but this art has also been distorted from its original form purpose. Kartar Diamond hopes to clarify these notions by providing actual case studies. The author's goal is to provide evidence that Feng Shui is not just a myth and can be useful in the lives of many people.

• Kennedy, David Daniel. Feng Shui for Dummies. Foster City: IDG Books Worldwide, 2001.
• Kingston, Karen. Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. New York: Broadway Books, 1999.
• Lin, Henry B. The Art and Science of Feng Shui: The Ancient Chinese Tradition of Shaping Fate. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 2000.
• Lo, Raymond. Feng Shui & Destiny for Managers. Singapore: Times Books International, 1996.
• Moran, Elizabeth, Joseph Yu and Val Biktashev. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui. 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Alpha, 2002.
• Ong. Han. Fixer Chao. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.

  Han Ong is the author of this novel about a Filipino American named William Narciso Paulinha who meets Shem C and together plot to scam all of New York's elite society. Fixer Chao is an example of Asian American literature that explores an Asian art that has become popular and trendy among Americans. Through the observations of William who takes on the character of Feng Shui master Chao, the reader can see how the Chinese art of Feng Shui is distorted to appeal and appease American demands. On another level, the reader also sees how William, an Asian American deals with his identity and culture in America under the false image of a Chinese Feng Shui expert.

• Roberts, Stephanie. Fast Feng Shui: 9 Simple Principles for Transforming Your Life by Energizing Your Home. Kahului: Lotus Pond Press, 2001.
• Rossbach, Sarah. Interior Design with Feng Shui. New York: Penguin/Arkana, 2000.
• Sang, Larry. Feng Shui: Facts and Myths. Monterey: American Feng Shui Institute, 2004.

  This book is a collection of stories about Feng Shui and astrology that attempts to discern real Feng Shui from the distorted version popularized and misunderstood in the West. He discusses common misconceptions of Feng Shui, its study and superstition, how to distinguish a true Feng Shui expert from a hack, the mystery of Chinese astrology, and interesting Feng Shui stories in Chinese culture.

• Sang, Larry. Chinese Astrology & Feng Shui Guide 2004: The Year of the Monkey. Monterey: American Feng Shui Institute, 2003.

  2004 is the year of the Monkey and Master Larry Sang has calculated Chinese astrology and Feng Shui for this year. Sang includes predictions for every animal in the Chinese zodiac. The second part of the book consists of Feng Shui predictions for the year of the Monkey and the third part is comprised of a day selection guide, which contains advice on daily activities. Overall, this book is a guide for any person interested in Chinese astrology and Feng Shui.

• Sang, Larry and Helen Luk. The Principles of Feng Shui: Book One. 3rd ed. Monterey Park: American Feng Shui Institute, 1996.
• Webster, Richard. 101 Feng Shui Tips for the Home. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 1998.
• Wong, Angi Ma. Feng Shui Dos & Taboos. Pownal: Storey Books, 2000.
• Wong, Eva. A Master Course in Feng-Shui. Boston: Shambhala, 2001.
• Wong, Eva. Feng Shui: the Ancient Wisdom of Harmonious Living for Modern Times. Boston: Shambhala, 1996.

Emails

• Helen. "Re: From a University of Maryland student about Asian American Art." E-mail to the author. 10 Mar. 2004.

  His staff member, Helen, answered an e-mail intended for Master Larry Sang of the American Feng Shui Institute. I wrote an e-mail asking if Feng Shui could be considered an Asian American art, and how it affected Asian culture and identity. Helen responded: "We tend to define Feng Shui as a Science. Truly, when a home or environment is analyzed, it should not look 'Feng Shuied.' This means that all remedies must fit within the original decor of the home and not necessarily be of Asian aesthetic." She continued by defining the process of traditional Feng Shui as more of a science rather than something magical or mystical. Furthermore, she referred to the common misunderstandings of Feng Shui and its contemporary symbolic representations. For example, the "White Tiger, "Red Phoenix," "Black Turtle," and "Green Dragon" are simply representations of the eight cardinal directions and nothing more.

• Sugita, Janice. "Re: From a student at the University of Maryland about Asian American Art." E-mail to the author. 29 Feb. 2004.

  Janice Sugita, an instructor for the American Feng Shui Institute answered an email concerning the definition of Feng Shui as an Asian American art. She states that Feng Shui and the art of interior design are parallel because they use the similar principles of light, balance, and space, to name a few. She also states: "Unfortunately non-traditional Feng Shui consultants use Buddhism Chinese superstitions and good luck charms that stereotype the Asian image." She then clarifies that with the use of Feng Shui as a science, it is possible to calculate energy patterns and its effects on occupants.

Websites

• The American Feng Shui Institute. 2004. American Feng Shui Institute. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006. <http://amfengshui.com/>.
• Astro-FengShui. 2005. Feng Shui Research Center. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006. <http://www.astro-fengshui.com/>.

  This site is very simplistic and direct. It lists links to courses, seminars, astrology, Feng Shui, I Ching, and the founder Joseph Yu. In his biography, Yu first encountered Feng Shui when his peers in China told him he could make money by impersonating a Feng Shui master. Yu did not agree with such dishonesty and furthermore, he believed Feng Shui was simply superstition. As a mathematics and physics major at the University of Hong Kong, he was determined to disprove the beliefs of Feng Shui with hard evidence. However, upon his research to uncover faults in Feng Shui, he became more interested in Chinese culture. Yu founded the Feng Shui Research Center. He is the author of books on Feng Shui, I Ching, and Chinese astrology.

• Conley, Patricia. "Designed in Asia, Sold in America." Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Feb. 1, 2001. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006. <http://www.tdctrade.com/imn/01020117/imn187-america8.htm>.
• Feng Shui Art Center. 2006. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006 <http://fengshuiartcenter.com/>.

  Olga Garcia is a former student of Joseph Yu who founded the Feng Shui Art Center where she teaches the art of Feng Shui and Chinese astrology and provides consultations. Her biography is very informational about her educational background and her strong interest in Asian American culture, particularly the Asian healing arts. She attended many schools and has received diplomas relating to the healing arts. The site gives brief descriptions of Feng Shui, I Ching, the Four Pillars, courses, seminars and services. There is no mission statement by Garcia concerning her Feng Shui philosophy and it appears that she is simply a student who is making an honest career by teaching others the knowledge she has amassed over the years at different institutions.

• Feng Shui Energy. 2000. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006. <http://fengshui-energy.com/>.

  In her website, Riny Habets describes Feng Shui as an art of living and as a science of environment. She states: "It is the art of places and the knowledge of the influence these spaces have on our lives... Feng Shui is an Oriental tradition but it also offers enough indications of our own culture about how to deal with the energy in our environment in the correct way." She also provides a brief description about the process of having one's establishment reviewed by a Feng Shui practitioner as well as an average price in euros.

• Feng Shui-Import. 2006. San Shan Int'l Trading Co. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006. <http://www.fengshui-import.com/>.
• FengShuiLiving.com. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006 <http://fengshuiliving.com/>.

  FengShuiLiving.com is devoted to Feng Shui practitioners, Master Raymond Lo and Dr. Ibrahim Karim. The site was developed and is maintained by Nancy Pond-Smith, but there is no information available on her. There are articles, books, and products about Feng Shui and other aspects of Chinese alternative arts (i.e. I Ching and Four Pillars). This can be a very useful website for any person interested in Feng Shui and researching the different approaches of practitioners as well as the scope of classes and seminars.

• Feng Shui Times: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times. 2005. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006. <http://www.fengshuitimes.com/>.
• Feng Shui Ultimate Resource: Feng Shui Facts Without the New Age Psychobabble. 2006. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006. <http://www.qi-whiz.com/>.
• Fourpillars and Feng Shui Software and Research. 2006. Fourpillars.net. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006 <http://fourpillars.net/>.

  The site provides online calculators for many forms of Chinese astrology such as Feng Shui, Four Pillars, I Ching, and Nine Star Ki. The site also provides links to Feng Shui newsletters, articles, and recommended books. There are free software downloads for professional Feng Shui consultants and Chinese astrologers, as well as screenshots. The site not only refers to Chinese astrology and Feng Shui's goal of producing harmonious environments, but also discusses the practical/financial side to using I Ching and Feng Shui to predict stock and commodities markets. The intended audience for this site Feng Shui consultants, Asian businessmen, or someone who desires to be a practitioner.

• International Feng Shui Guild. 2005. International Feng Shui Guild. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006 <http://www.internationalfengshuiguild.org/index2.htm>.
• Sang, Larry. Master Sang's Ten Thousand Year Calendar. Monterey: American Feng Shui Institute, 2004. Date Accessed: 19 July 2006. <http://www.amfengshui.com/ashop/catalogue.php?cat=2>.

  This electronic book is available for purchase at the above website. Feng Shui practitioners use a calendar commonly referred to as the Ten-Thousand Year Calendar, which does not necessarily contain calendars for ten thousand years, but rather is used as a reference guide in their practice. Larry Sang's calendar provides 150 years worth of information, dating from 1882 to 2031. It gives annual, monthly, and daily stem and branch, the annual and monthly flying star, and the lunar day of the month. Also, it provides information on different natural occurrences such as solstices and equinoxes. The ten thousand year calendar is used for many different Chinese arts that pertain to various predictive techniques.

• Welcome to the Feng Shui Society. 2006. The Feng Shui Society. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006 <http://www.fengshuisociety.org.uk/>.
• World of Feng Shui: The First Online Feng Shui Magazine in the World. 2004. WOFS.com. Date Accessed: 20 July 2006 <http://www.wofs.com/>.

  This site was designed to accommodate the growing demand for Feng Shui by selling charms and other trinkets online. The site also offers classes, seminars, as well as an advice column by "Aunt Agga" who is really Lilian Too, the author of many Feng Shui books. However, the brief biography of Lilian Too only discusses her career and life as a banker and businesswoman, and her background and education in Feng Shui is extremely vaguely. This site is concerned with commercializing Feng Shui rather than developing deeper understandings of this art form.