Bask in Zi Wei Star · Visit the God of Wealth · Explore Shanghai World Expo

The Feng Shui Discovery Tour has been held for four years running. Every year, I lead a group of like-minded enthusiasts to experience how the royalty incorporates feng shui into their life and politics etc. Even the royalty members need to rely on feng shui to secure their status, needless to say, commoners like us would need to do so too.

In our recent trip, we travelled to Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangnan. Jiangnan can be considered a strategic land between the Ming and Qing Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Court sent forces to Jiangnan on several occasions. There were several reasons for these expeditions, namely: 1) struggles over the reign of Emperor, 2) the Dragon's vein which denotes prosperous land and 3) foundation to increase the influential powers of the royalty. As for the Qing Dynasty, forces were sent to Jiangnan to look for the land with superior geomantic qualities, whereby the Seven Stars landed.

The destiny of the forefather from Qing Dynasty was influenced by the Seven Stars. It was essential to discover the land whereby the Seven Stars landed, in order to ensure prosperity for the future generations. Unfortunately, the troops did not go to Shanghai and returned empty handed instead. Thus, Shanghai was developed into a goldmine for the mass during the Ming Dynasty.

The main purpose of this feng shui tour to Jiangnan is to visit the Gods of Wealth, Shen Wan San and Tao Zhugong. I noticed that many people who seek or pray to the Gods of Wealth often hope to be blessed with wealth. Such thoughts are not encouraged. In fact, we should try to gain a better understanding on how the God of Wealth acquire his wealth and adopt the same attitude in order to gain the technique to making money. For example, Shen Wan San made use of the "money begets money" theory to acquire his wealth while Tao Zhugong used his wisdom to gain his wealth.

During our journey, we also visited Yiwu International Trading Centre, the film site for numerous TV and movie epics in Hengdian, Shanghai Expo sites, Maoshan Mountain etc. and it was an eye-opening experience! These destinations have its unique styles that are interesting in its own ways. For example, Maoshan Mountain is adept at using its status as the "Most Prosperous Place on Earth" and has developed into one of China's largest Taoism Centre for self-cultivation.

This year, we chose Shenwu Men, the northern gate at the Forbidden City, to bask in the Zi Wei Star. Although the sky was cloudy, we could still make out the position of the Zi Wei Star upon scrutiny. The circumstances whereby we basked in Zi Wei Star differs from that of the previous year. In the previous year, the night was clear with a bright moon and stars. It signified a somewhat favourable year for 2010. However, judging from this year's situation, the luck cycle for 2011 may be unfavourable. Thus, I hope that everybody can make better preparation to face the challenges in the coming year.

Next year's Feng Shui Discovery Tour shall be the last tour of its series. I plan to lead everybody to examine how the Emperor enhances his health and increase longevity. At the same time, we shall visit the Sleeping Deity at Huashan Mountain to improve vitality! For interested parties, do watch out for further details coming soon!

Museum

Today is the third day of our tour in Egypt. The weather is glorious with bright sunshine but there is a slight chill in the air.

In the morning, we visited a mosque, which was built on a hill in the Islamic district of Cairo. This mosque was built in the Middle Age and its exterior looks majestic. The interior design looks as luxurious with the support of four pillars and a semi-circular roof, giving the air of the sacred and solemnity. The entrance of the Mosque faces northwest and there is a carving of sunrays on the door. This symbolizes prosperity and rebirth.

After our visit to the Mosque, we proceed to the archaeological museum and according to our tour guide; this is one of the must-see places in Egypt. This archaeological museum contains the collection of the main legacy of the Pharaohs and truly presents the essence of the Egyptian tombs. Security is very stringent and we can see guards on duty in every corner. Our guide explained in detail the history of Egypt but I was more interested in the Pharaohs burial items, the mummies, gold masks and the queen’s jewelries. In the end, I was disappointed as we were only left with thirty minutes to explore on our own. Even though there were some frictions with our guide during the tour, I understand later that he was just maintaining the professionalism of his job.

In the evening, we came to an old bazaar and I requested the guide to give us two hours to explore. To me, regardless of visiting a site of attractions or shopping mall or bazaar, it is all about experiencing.

After all, the popularity and consumption patterns of a country can be observed from such shopping areas. In this bazaar, there are all kinds of famous spices, handicrafts, traditional and modern apparels and accessories etc. I took many lifestyle shots and hope that I can share with everybody.

At night, we boarded a river cruise berthed at the Nile River. It was a great experience to have our dinner onboard as the scenery was mesmerizing and the food was good, thus, improving my mood for the day.

Pyramids

The Pyramids in Egypt is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is as prestigious as the world famous India’s Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. The reason why these places are so mysterious and intriguing is because to date, no one can determine how people in the olden days built them.

Cairo is the capital of Egypt and is full of mist in the morning. We had travelled out to the pyramids early but the queue at the entrance is already swarmed with people. Due to the great mist, we were unable to see the pyramids in full view but one can still feel its magnificent presence.

We had to walk very near to the architecture before being able to see its vague outline. I stood at the north entrance of the pyramid with my compass to determine the directions and as expected, it is sitting in the South and facing the North. This year marks the 30 years milestone for the wedding anniversary with my wife. Our guide joked with us that only sincerity, which is strong as gold, can achieve such a milestone and the pyramids are the best evidence. Amused, I could not help but to lament that our relationship is simply beyond words.

Our guide mentioned that the pyramid faces off four directions, meaning that the pyramid is made of four planes, converging at the tip. I always had the impression that the pyramid has three surfaces but discovered otherwise when I opened a crystal shop in 1994. At that time, I still retained some reservations but after witnessing the pyramid in person, I was finally convinced.

Towards the North of the pyramid, there is an entrance to the tomb, whereby tickets are required. I was intrigued to explore part of the pyramid and the tombs that lie within. After all, part of my profession relates to the placement of tombs. Being a foolish tourist, I was disappointed to find that the tomb contains a narrow walkway that eventually brought me to a somewhat square room that contains one coffin. I understand from a guidebook later that tomb raiders created the path that I took to the tomb.

Nevertheless, I discovered a great secret! The caves are a natural miracle created by the mixture of deposition of volcanic lava and granite. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed and thus, I am unable to share with you here.

There are much confusions and unsolved mysteries with regards to the construction of the pyramids. It is almost impossible to imagine how people can lift a rock mountain that is tens of thousands in tons from a flat ground to build the pyramid and perhaps, it may be easier to accept the explanation of a volcanic mountain being reformed into the pyramid. Though this explanation does sound more feasible, it is still a speculation.

Moving on, there are actually three pyramids in the area but due to time constraint, we are unable to visit all. We certainly hope that there will be a chance in the future to revisit!