LET'S GET (META) PHYSICAL

Contrary to popular belief, the traditional practices of feng shui and ba zi are not only alive and well, but thriving among the younger set. Today's masters of Chinese metaphysics share how they are modernising the craft

- Ethan Kan and Dawson Tan

To the uninitiated, a feng shui master’s calculated manoeuvring of a protractor over detailed floor plans might seem mystical, obscure and superstitious—as might crystals, amulets and wind chimes. But the feng shui and ba zi masters of today want you to know that the opposite is true.

What even is feng shui and ba zi? According to Paul Kek and Renaye Chan, the co‑founders of consultancy group Alchemy International Advisory, feng shui, literally “wind-water” in Mandarin, “harmonises individuals with their environment through the arrangement of spaces”. The result is the enhancement of “positive energy flow and well‑being”. Meanwhile, in ba zi, the eight characters derived from one’s birth year, month, day and hour can “reveal an individual’s innate personality, health conditions, family ties, romantic relationships and luck cycles in life”, says Venus Wang‑Lysiak, a senior branch director at real estate agency Propnex who also offers ba zi consultations, talks and lectures.

One would imagine that the scrutiny of modern scepticism has relegated Chinese metaphysics to the annals of your grandparents’ memories, but no. Just ask the hordes of luxury brands, tech start‑ups, lawyers, businessmen, celebrities and more who flock to feng shui and ba zi masters in search of business and relationship advice. At Way Fengshui Group, one of the most prominent feng shui consultancy services in Singapore founded in 1984, 70‑year‑old Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong commands crowds of nearly a thousand at his lectures, a feat that speaks to the persistent popularity of this ancient practice—one that hides in plain sight, organising our relationships with our spaces in ways we do not see.