The image of nature in geomancy

Abstract

The art of geomancy (feng-shui in Chinese) is concerned with choosing auspicious sites from which man can benefit. Geomancy has been one of the most important ideas which influenced man's relationships with nature in East Asia and has significantly affected the location and morphology of cities, villages, houses and graves in China and Korea. In geomancy, nature is basically interpreted in terms of the following three images, namely: (1) magical, that which is produced mysterious power to influence man; (2) personified, that which is treated as functioning system of animate organism or inanimate object; (3) vulnerable, that which can be destroyed or recovered by human action.