Page 155 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 148
It often took a geomancer weeks to locate a ‘lucky’ burial site. Ancestors had to be
protected against the influence of evil spirits, and here the expertise of the
geomancer was needed. He would probably look for a south-facing hill-side, and arrange
for protective walls on each side to keep off east and west winds. The underside of the
grave could be protected by siting it over an underground water-course.

Geomantic instructions in a military manual of 1662

In sites where the feng-shui was ‘weak’, pagodas were often erected. If a large stream
flowed by a town, there was always a danger that the current might carry the good
influences and powers away with it. Where the stream ran towards a mountain, this might
prevent dispersal of these influences; otherwise a pagoda was built, thus achieving by art
what nature by herself had failed to do – ensure ‘harmony in the Middle’. Even today
pagodas are usually to be seen downstream from the town, opposite a bend in the river.
The handbooks written on the technique of siting houses and graves can only be

understood by those versed in astronomy and astrology, and who can use the special
compass necessary in geomancy.

Gestures

zhuang-tai

In their everyday lives the Chinese make much use of symbolic gestures; but only one set
of these has been studied in detail, – the sign-language used by traders to signal prices.
For example, when the index finger of one hand is stretched out and the thumb is placed