-Interview with Liu Shiyun, a famous geomantic culture scholar in Ganzhou.
"Business Travel News" reporter He Heping
Mid-Autumn Festival in August, the weather is getting cold. We came to Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, the birthplace of China geomantic culture.
Ganzhou is a famous historical and cultural city. The streets are clean and bright, with flowers and trees along the way; Taxi drivers are polite and passers-by answer in good faith; Ganzhou dialect is sweet, crisp, modest and pleasant. When I first entered Ganzhou, I felt the civilized atmosphere of Ganzhou people who have been influenced by Feng Shui culture.
We boarded the top floor of the hotel and arrived at the office building of "Ganzhou Yang Feng Shui Culture Poverty Alleviation Research Center" as scheduled to interview the famous Feng Shui master in Ganzhou. In the process of shaking hands, we feel that Mr. Liu is very tolerant and square. Slightly plump but strong body, ruddy face, a little upturned generous lips, reveals a profound academic school, calm and resolute character. Looking around the building, although the old tables and chairs are not ostentatiously decorated, the bookcases are full, the manuscripts are stacked, the windows are bright and clean, the tea sets are elegant and elegant, and there are huge Feng Shui compasses and teaching blackboards on the walls. Looking out of the window, the view is wide. Surrounded by three rivers outside the city, the waves are like practice. In the distance, the mountains are green and the color is sky-high. In the autumn sunset, the city and its surrounding landscape are more elegant and beautiful. On the fourth floor of Deng, the scenery is leisurely, the spirit is comfortable and the spirit is sudden.
Mr. Liu said that Ganzhou has a long history, beautiful mountains and rivers, rich products and rich humanities. Ancient times was a land of hundreds of leaps and bounds. The county system was established in the Han dynasty, and counties, prefectures, roads, roads and governments were set up here in all previous dynasties. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Song Gaozong established a city called Ganzhou. Ganzhou is the birthplace of Neo-Confucianism and Feng Shui culture in Song and Ming Dynasties. Ganzhou is not a famous historical and cultural city. We looked through his collection of poems, songs and anecdotes collected in Ganzhou by heroes, celebrities and heroes of past dynasties, such as Su Shi, Meng Haoran, Huang Tingjian, Xin Qiji, Zhu, Wen Tianxiang and Wang Yangming.
Mr. Liu said that the word "Feng Shui" originated from Guo Pu's Funeral Book in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Its cloud says: "The method of geomantic omen, water is the best, followed by Tibetan wind. Shallow and deep, feng shui is self-contained. " In the Ming Dynasty, Xiang Qiao's "Feng Shui Bian" also said: "The so-called wind is hidden in its mountains, but the color of the earth is strong. The wind rushing in all directions is called wind. The so-called water, take its high and dry terrain, do not make its husband close to the skin; If the water bends towards it, it will have a second meaning. " To sum up, "Feng Shui" can be expressed as: when people choose the building site, they comprehensively judge the relationship between various architectural environment factors such as geology and geomorphology, good fortune and bad fortune, and sum up various taboos in building construction.
There are many reasons why Ganzhou has become the birthplace of Feng Shui culture. First, after the rebellion between Jinshi and Anshi, it was not until the Qing Dynasty. A large number of Central Plains people moved south, and intellectuals brought spiritual civilization to the south. Ganzhou became a so-called Hakka settlement after moving south. This place is mountainous and watery, with warm local conditions, rich products and developed economy. Compared with the war-torn north, the south is more peaceful and quiet. Ancestors moved south, in order to avoid evil spirits and make money, praying for peace and happiness, "Cang Man Li Yi." Therefore, the custom of geomantic omen prevails in Ganzhou area; Second, after the Song Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism and Yangming's Mind had a far-reaching influence here, and Feng Shui had a good spiritual environment suitable for development. Thirdly, the development of geomantic omen is closely related to the ethics and etiquette of Hakka people in Ganzhou. Hakka people attach importance to filial piety, pay attention to etiquette and worship their ancestors. When parents die and feel sad, they often feel sorry for their kindness. In order to mourn and remember my grace, I always hope to find a beautiful place to bury my parents, which can avoid drought and the invasion of flooded ants, and also conform to the law of "burying them with anger, covering them with bones and responding with empty space" If so, the traditional filial piety, ethics and etiquette civilization will find a carrier in the feng shui of tombs.
He specially introduced that Ganzhou became the birthplace of China's geomantic culture because there was an official named Jin Guanglu who was in charge of the geography of Lingtai in Tang Xizong in the late Tang Dynasty. He is in charge of palace architecture, astronomical observation and ceremonies. After Huang Chao captured Chang 'an. Yang Yi fled Chang 'an with the Feng Shui cheats monopolized by the imperial court for a long time. He traveled and stayed in Gannan, which is the beauty of geomantic omen and humanity, and devoted himself to research, practice and give lectures. Because of his virtue and skills, he helped the poor and the weak, and people respectfully called Yang helping the poor. Therefore, it is well-known and has been passed down to this day. He popularized Feng Shui theory in Ganzhou. According to the personnel description, his works include: Yi Long Jing, Han Long Jing, Four Divisions, Drawing a Cone, Drawing Sand, etc.
Mr. Liu said that there are many geomantic celebrities in the history of Gannan. There are * * *11/in the ancient and modern books collection, natural history collection, biography of celebrities and their appendices, among which 48 are from Jiangxi, accounting for more than 40% of the total. And 80% of Jiangxi Feng Shui celebrities are from Ganzhou. According to Jiangxi Tongzhi, the Ming Tombs in Beijing today were built by Liao, a famous feng shui master in Ganzhou. Because he brought good luck to the royal family when he visited the royal mausoleum in the Ming Dynasty, he was rewarded by the emperor and was promoted to a knight. Nowadays, there are hundreds of people engaged in geomantic omen in Ganzhou, and geomantic omen has become a deeply rooted and widely planted folk custom in Ganzhou. Many ancient books recorded the popularity of geomantic omen in Ganzhou history.
Teacher Liu said with emotion that Feng Shui folk custom is a traditional cultural phenomenon in China, and it is a theory about the relationship between environment and human beings. Feng Shui is about "Qi". It attributes the movement and change of everything in the world to the movement of "anger". In ancient China, science was underdeveloped. It explains the ever-changing and unpredictable world with "qi" and "anger", which should be said to be the embodiment of a simple materialistic thought. According to Feng Shui, the layout and design of houses are not only subject to people's comfort and convenience. In ancient times and even modern times, when China's traditional etiquette thought dominated, feudal etiquette thoughts such as "three cardinal guides and five permanents", respecting the old and caring for the young, and respecting men and women also penetrated into the layout and design of houses. The layout of the courtyard wall, gatehouse, hall and bedroom all embodies many constraints, such as the difference between inside and outside, the arch of many children, gossip, yin and yang, etc. This makes the pattern and form of housing itself a place for moral education of "self-cultivation" and "keeping the family in order". Preface to the Yellow Emperor's House Classics: "The husband who lives in the house is the hub of Yin and Yang, a model of human relations, and he is not a man who knows wisdom and knows nothing." That is to say, the residence should not only be a place where the yin and yang of heaven and earth meet and balance, but also a standard way of spatial existence of people's social and spiritual life, and the unity of natural and social attributes of architecture. Building construction is a profound knowledge. Those who are "not knowledgeable and not wise" cannot deeply understand its mystery. The ancients believed that the ultimate ambition of "ruling the country, being virtuous and leveling the world" could be achieved by combining the house with good feng shui and humanistic education. Yang Yi wrote in Yu Zhu Ji Fu: "I often listen to heroes, I am Zhong Zhiling. This is a unique way for dragons to enter the game. When the sand gathers, there is no difference between good and bad. " It means beautiful mountains and rivers will be touching. "outstanding people" is because of "the spirit of the earth" The similarities and differences of the environment will have different reactions.
The ancients in China believed that there was an incredible causal relationship among heaven, earth and people. In order to find the treasure land of geomantic omen, according to China's traditional philosophy and the universal life sequence law embodied in the Book of Changes and the Book of Changes, a set of specific standards and methods for geomantic omen has been established. In my opinion, this explanation of the interaction between nature and human beings, the internal relationship and mutual induction of all things, and the causal arrangement of "image, number and reason" in the process of things' development and change is reasonable and scientific. The correct attitude towards Feng Shui cultural heritage should be: discard its dross, take its essence, serve accurately, and be honest.
Mr. Liu said that there is no doubt that due to historical reasons and the influence of modern utilitarian thoughts, there are not many good people in the Feng Shui industry: there are many Feng Shui teachers, and it is really difficult to tell the difference. Some Jianghu gentlemen have neither theoretical rules nor performance practice. They use a little pseudo-feng shui trick, a few words, go from village to village, gush, gush, in fact, do feng shui. Some Feng Shui gentlemen, with shallow knowledge and low taste, don't pretend to understand, make irresponsible remarks and say a lot of ignorant words. Some self-styled "feng shui masters" let feng shui classics such as "B and C meet and meet, and let the new phase converge" explain jokes. If you don't understand the Nine Planets Act, say, "Will the nine planets in the sky govern the underground?" If you don't know the compass, say that the traditional geomantic compass is all wrong. In the application of the law of shape regulating qi, we don't understand and ignore "the soul depends on each other, and the yin ghost becomes the yang god;" The soul is rebellious, and the yang god becomes a ghost. "Warning words. There are many dangers and disadvantages, and it is ridiculous. That's pathetic!
Teacher Liu's rigorous, rational, quick and smooth introduction to the connotation of Feng Shui culture made us feel refreshed and enlightened.
We know that Mr. Liu is from Ganzhou, Jiangxi. Before the Cultural Revolution, he graduated from China Language and Literature Department of Jiangxi Institute of Education. After the Cultural Revolution, he was admitted to the Agricultural Department of Beijing Agricultural University and graduated. In the 1970s, young people began to learn Feng Shui from their teachers when they were farming at home. At present, there are 70 calligraphy brushes and rough-printed ancient prints in his bookcase, which were given to him by Master Yu Ben. Because of his cleverness and diligence, he has a profound understanding of Feng Shui, made many achievements in practice and enjoyed an excellent reputation. Over the years, his Feng Shui achievements have spread all over Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai, Shandong, Beijing, Heilongjiang and other places. Many feng shui masters have become good friends with him. His behavior won the respect of his disciples and dignitaries. Southeast Asian Chinese circles have much contact with him and often look for him for feng shui.
We also saw the "invitation letter" issued by President Wu Cheng of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangkok, Thailand and President Zheng Jilie of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2000. In addition to expressing surprise at Mr. Liu's excellent academic performance, extensive knowledge and profound Feng Shui attainments, the article also invited him to give lectures in Bangkok and personally attend the "Feng Shui Forum Conference" for guidance. In the autumn and winter of 2004, Mr. Wang Jianmin, President of the Malaysian Feng Shui Association, and the Malaysian giant salamander visited Mr. Liu in Ganzhou successively. Appreciate its taste. President Wang Jianmin has invited Mr. Liu to give lectures in Kuala Lumpur as soon as possible. We also looked through the photos and recommended words of Mr. Liu published in the recent Malaysian enigma magazine.
During the conversation, we felt that his writing skills and Feng Shui theory skills were very solid. Many of his vernacular translations of Feng Shui classics are familiar with his writing style, clear and pleasant, and to the point; Methods and skills of analyzing and commenting on Feng Shui schools; Moreover, when judging the quality of the feng shui pattern, we were deeply impressed by the bright and clear colors and bright eyes.
Although he is busy with his career, he still insists on writing. We have browsed some of his works: A Brief History of the Development of Feng Shui in China, A Detailed Explanation of the Fifty-two Layers of China Compass, A Classic Comment on the Kanyu of Siku Quanshu, An Interpretation of Jin Guopu's Funeral Book and the Vernacular Interpretation, An Interpretation of Yang Junsong Yuchi Classic in Vernacular, An Analysis of Yang Junsong's Collection of Books, and The Secret of Qing Hongluan, etc.
At the end of the interview, when I was about to say goodbye, I once again studied the inscription given to Mr. Liu by the 88-year-old famous calligrapher Yuan Qingyi: a painting with the words "rigorous, open and elegant". Another wrote, "The spring breeze is elegant and can hold things, but the autumn water articles are dust-free." I think this may be the truest portrayal of Mr. Liu's knowledge, intelligence and personality.