Peter Schnier, “Ming China and the Cultural Significance of Feng Sui in Ancestral Worship”
Mentor: Xin Yu, History, Letters & Science (College of)
Poster #50
While many cultures have had history of ancestral and family reverence, feudal Chinese practices stand out as some of the most unique. Traditional Confucian cultural values such as filial piety, respect, and admiration for one’s elders, as well as more spiritual practices such as Feng Sui all have had major cultural significance in the Chinese psyche. Many burial maps have similar features to them such as mountain placement, flow of rivers, and locations of forests and plants. In the traditional beliefs of Feng Sui, energy is secreted in exceptional areas of land and that energy tends to ebb and flow depending on the surrounding environment. Considering this, it is imperative to Chinese geomancers that the specific locations of structures, plants, and other land features are situated in a way that guarantees the most energy is drawn to the most important areas of a region. It is extremely important for feudal clans to bury their deceased ancestors in an area according to traditional Feng Sui principles so that their ancestors, and family, are insured harmony in the afterlife and good fortune to their living family members. This research is meant to connect the spiritual with the worldly by studying ancestral burial maps as well as familiarize people with traditional ideas of Feng Sui. The research will also help others understand how Chinese people thought of, and interreacted with their ancestors according to traditional practices. Around a hundred maps were analyzed by studying patterns in landmarks and comparing other maps from related sites and historical eras. The placement of burial sites may give us an understanding on how people tried to harness the harmonious energy of Feng Sui and how it still relates to modern Chinese culture today.