Shanghai - The Land Whereby The Seven Stars Landed

There are friends who mentioned that Shanghai symbolises a hidden dragon and it may be difficult or next to impossible to find the dragon pulse. In the studies of feng shui, it is indeed tougher to seek a hidden dragon and this is because there are no tall mountains or mountain range in the plains. Furthermore, Shanghai lies in the exit of the Yangtze River that flows downstream and was created with the accumulation of sediment. Thus, it is more difficult to find the dragon pulse.

Nonetheless, one will still be able to find traces of the dragon pulse with careful observations. In fact, the dragon bone was hit during the building of the expressway in Shanghai. Foundation of the road works can only be lay after a revered priest held rituals and conducted prayers. He also placed a talisman on the dragon bone to ensure stability. However, this revered priest passed away shortly and many believed that this is the outcome for revealing heavenly secrets.

Shanghai consists of five dragons (Huangshan Mountain Range, Xishan Mountain Range, Dongting Mountain Range, Nantong Mountain Range and Jinshan Mountain Range) and is known as the land whereby the seven stars landed. With appropriate development, such a geomantic formation can transform Shanghai into a prosperous financial and business district.

In the beginning, Shanghai focused solely on developing the West of the Huangpu River. Thus, only three stars were developed. These three stars have been occupied by three famous temples, which are namely Jing’an Temple, Jade Buddha Temple and Long Hua Temple. Surrounding the three temples are prospering business districts and this indicates the area to be blessed with good geomantic attributes.

Upon the development of Pudong, the remaining four stars were discovered. Pudong became a cosmopolitan city that is comparable to New York of America and Paris of France. It also became a world-class financial and trading hub.

Actually, many places have the geomantic formation whereby the seven stars landed. E.g. Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Orchard Road in Singapore. However, as a globetrotter who travelled to many places, this is my first time witnessing a large-scale geomantic formation featuring the land whereby the seven stars landed.

Shanghai has evolved to its current prosperous status after going through many challenges. I hope that the government does not destroy the favourable geomantic formation during the implementation of city development.

Reflections

My impression of China improved after I visited the Shanghai Expo, as the Chinese had put in much effort into the planning and management of this event and it is indeed quite impressive. Be it for entertainment, or amenities such as food and restrooms, one can find all of these easily. Also, there are buses to ferry passengers around different pavilions and service ambassadors are available at all times to provide quality service.

Nonetheless, it is rare to attain perfection and I felt that the expo is too big with overwhelming crowds. One often needs to join a very long queue to enter the different pavilions. I spent six hours and was only able to visit a few of the pavilions. It is inevitable that I have some regrets for not having explored the entire expo site.

Shortly after my changed impression of China, I was astonished when we visited the Shanghai Pearl Tower. There were no problems with the queues but upon reaching the retail stalls and eateries, problems arose and I felt as if I was transported back to China during the 1980s. Service was scarce and we were pretty much left to our own devices.

I was at one of the stalls trying to get the attention of the salesperson. After calling out for three to four times, someone finally brought the item that I requested for. I merely asked a few questions when the salesperson retorted and asked if I have the intention to purchase. I made the purchase on the spot, as it was a small item that costs only 100 Yuan.

Upon reaching the restaurant, I was barred at the front door, as I could not find the tour guide. The doorkeeper asked me several questions that were even more direct than a security guard. However, once the tour guide appears, the attitude of the doorkeeper changed immediately and even welcomed me into the restaurant heartily. Although, it was supposed to be an international buffet, there were no tea, coffee or even water! Additional charges for drinks apply and we have to pay if we need to use their cups! Such retail methods are really astounding and it was an eye-opening experience!

I have been traveling to China since 1980s for leisure trips and I am always happy to see China progressing throughout the years. Usually, I travel to destinations that are off the beaten tracks with lesser crowds. However, my encounters while travelling in a group tour on this trip gave me much food for thought. I cannot help but to ponder: does mass tourists really deserve such treatment?

It goes to show that a city cannot rely solely on its exterior; it also requires good service that can provide satisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce adequate training to raise the local service standards. The development and progress of the city does not come easily and it is essential not to fail due to this minor aspect.

After evaluating others, I look back and figured that Singapore has much room for improvements in the aspect of service as well. Hope everybody can work together to achieve better service standards and progress ahead!

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!

Condolence Message for Haiti Earthquake

Way OnNet would like to express our heart-felt condolences to the family and friends of the victims of the Porte-au-Prince, Haiti earthquake. To date, the estimated death toll is in excess of 10,000 and has destroyed most of the capital city. This major catastrophe reminds us of how fragile human life can be and how the powers of nature has the power to change the course of individual lives.

We wish all the friends and family of the victims well.

Grand Master Tan
Founder & Director Way OnNet Group Pte Ltd

2010: The New Year

The New Year countdown party was most anticipated as we had always celebrated this special night in the past years.

Prior to our trip, the travel company had consistently reminded us to be in our formal wear as there would be some special program incorporated into our countdown party.

The evening begins around 7.30pm with all attendees looking magnificent in their formal wears. There were a series of interesting performances and a widespread of mouth-watering cuisines. Food comes in a great variety of turkey, beef, mutton, fish and various fruit platters that were presented exquisitely. Although most of the attendees come from different countries, everyone was swept into the festive atmosphere and mingled happily.

The countdown party started officially at 10.30pm. Be it the young or seniors, everyone starting swinging into actions on the dance floor. Without doubt, the young and beautiful naturally comes under the limelight. Nonetheless, “matured” citizens like us also added some festive atmosphere to the party as we sway to the music!

It was a great experience to countdown with friends from various countries as we exchanged well wishes for the New Year. We partied till the wee hours before we surrendered to fatigue.

With the coming of a New Year, the Captain gave us a present, which was to change us to a cabin on the third level. To our delight, the cabin provides great scenery and was sound free. This warranted the blissful sleep that I enjoyed tremendously.

On the morning of 1st January, we woke up later than usual and had a quick breakfast before we embark to visit the temples at Kom Ombo. While I was exploring the area, a policeman noticed that I seems to be researching and I must had looked like I know what I was doing, because he brought me to a door whereby there were some weird inscriptions (that resembles the namesake of some god) carved on it.

After that, he led me to another area and advised me that the place was protected by the local deity. The stone carvings, which includes drawings and words, holds the key to some special history and even reflect some quotations for the ancient astronomy system. I believe that this was how ancient inhabitants measured the tides of the Nile River.

Aswan

Between Cairo and the Nile River, there is an ancient yet modern city named Aswan. In the olden days, it used to be a trading area and this practice has continued to current days. Aswan is still an important trading center for Egypt and other African countries. It is one and half-hours away from Cairo by flight but if one were to take the train, it would take more than ten hours. On this day, we woke up early to catch our flight at 6am.

We reached Aswan around 8am and our guide brought us to visit the Aswan High Dam. A major project that took eleven years to complete, this large dam accounts for 80% of the electricity consumption in Egypt. One cannot help but to agree that the Nile River has its modern days’ talents as well. After this, we visited the ancient red granite quarry whereby we learned of how the quarry operates in the past and I was deeply touched by the hard work and difficulties that the quarry workers faced. On a different note, I was pleasantly surprised to come across three books relating to Egypt in Chinese language in a small shop nearby and I happily purchased them.

Next, we enjoyed lunch onboard a cruise ship. Hundred of ships that vary in different sizes are berthed here. Amenities onboard each ship contains hundreds of cabins, a restaurant and café. There are even swimming pools onboard some of the larger cruises and it resembles a floating five stars hotel! We will be staying onboard the cruise for three days and that includes a New Year countdown party to welcome 2010.

To be honest, I was most looking forward to this part of the trip but I was greatly disappointed once we went onboard. The cabin assigned to us was near the engine room and I am sure that the engine sounds will keep me awake at night. Thus, we insistently requested for the person-in-charge to change a cabin for us. Upon several requests, we finally got our wishes and were assigned to a lower level cabin, near to the employees’ resting room. There was no beautiful scenery here but it was very quiet.

Late afternoon, we drifted along the Nile River in a small boat for 40 minutes and it was a pleasant experience, as we get up close and personal with the seagulls. Upon returning to the cruise, I sat on the deck to start blogging while taking pictures of soaring seagulls and the beautiful sunset!

Sailing along the serene Nile River with its beautiful scenery, I indulged in a beautiful night.

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.