Committed to Cultural Inheritance and Sustainable Development

Wishing for good fortune is something people have always done, all throughout history. It shows how much we hope for a good life and what we strive for. Wishing is like believing in something, having hope, and it gives us strength. It helps us look ahead and deal with the tough things in life. This short piece will explore where wishing comes from, the different ways people do it, and why it's still important today.

Feng Shui, also known as Kan Yu, is an ancient practice. "Kan" represents the way of Heaven, and "Yu" represents the way of Earth. Feng Shui has a very long history, going all the way back to ancient times. It's a complex field that brings together many different areas of study, including geography, geology, astrology, meteorology, landscape studies, architecture, ecology, and even how the environment affects our well-being. So, it's really a natural science that combines all these things.

During the Bronze Age (around 1339-1281 BCE) in the Shang Dynasty, people inscribed characters on turtle shells, animal bones, and human bones to record activities like divination and sacrifices. These writings are the earliest known examples of a fully developed writing system. Divination was used to predict unknown things, like whether someone would have good or bad luck, or how successful something would be. It was popular in ancient civilizations like Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and was also found in Southeast Asian countries like India.

Qimen Dunjia is an ancient Chinese esoteric art and is considered the foremost of the "Three Styles" (Qimen, Liuren, Taiyi), known for its comprehensive principles and methods. It encompasses knowledge from various fields like astronomy, calendrical science, warfare, strategic planning, philosophy, geography, mathematics, agriculture, folklore, economics, and military science. Today, Qimen Dunjia is often shortened to just "Qimen," "Qimen Dun," or "Dunjia." There's a popular saying: "Master Qimen Dunjia, and you won't need to ask who's coming."

The origin of Qimen Dunjia is generally traced back to a time when the mythical Chiyou caused chaos. The Yellow Emperor fought many battles but couldn't defeat him. It's said that the celestial goddess Nuwa (or sometimes Jiutian Xuannv) then bestowed the art of Qimen Dunjia upon the Yellow Emperor, helping him to finally defeat Chiyou. Based on this legend, Qimen Dunjia would have a history of over five thousand years. It's considered the highest level of predictive arts, often called the "knowledge of emperors" or the "ultimate forecasting method."