THE FENG SHUI MASTER

I bumped into Huang Tianyuan, the then ninety-year-old feng shui master, on a small mountain path in September of 1998, when I was visiting friends in Gongtanzui region, Sichuan. Huang helped villagers achieve optimum balance and harmony through the location and orientation of tombs and cemeteries.

LIAO YIWU: Are you Mr. Huang, the famous feng shui master?

HUANG TIANYUAN: Don't listen to other people's lies. I'm not a feng shui master. Please don't ask me for any feng shui–related advice.

LIAO: Actually, I'm from out of town. I'm not interested in finding out about the feng shui in this area. About twelve years ago, I worked for the folk art agency here. My director, Peng, and I used to visit villages along the You River to collect folk music and arts. One day, Director Peng came here to seek advice from you because his deceased father had appeared in his dreams many times. When he and I showed up at your house, you asked Director Peng to prepare a bowl of clear water and hold the bowl in front of you. I was puzzled by the ceremony and asked: What can you see in the water? Your answer contained two words: The soul. After examining the water for a couple of minutes, you urged Director Peng to bury his father's ashes to appease the old man's soul. But Director Peng said: I have already buried my father's ashes. Upon hearing that, you tapped a burning incense stick on the side of the bowl three times and asked: How come your father's ghost is still angry? Director Peng was so scared that his face turned ashen white. He immediately knelt in front of you and said: You are right, Master! I lied. It turned out his father's ashes were still stored inside an urn at his house and he hadn't had the opportunity to bury it yet. Do you remember that?

HUANG: I know Director Peng, but I don't remember the ceremony. I don't do that anymore. I have given up my practice.

LIAO: How come?

HUANG: It's a long story. During the past decade, feng shui consulting and fortune-telling have become quite popular in this area. People consult feng shui masters before the construction of houses for both the living and the dead. My specialty is to advise people with choosing burial sites. One year, I was so busy. I offered consultation to at least fifty families.

LIAO: Why, was there a high death rate that year?

HUANG: No, no. The advice was for the living. In this area, people spend money choosing spots with good feng shui for big and lavish tombs while they are still alive. Tombs with the right feng shui can bring good luck for your descendants.

I have worked hard for the folks here all my life and accumulated a little fortune from my business. I've just turned ninety. It's time for me to take care of myself. So, two years ago, I left the business to my nine-year-old apprentice, who is a feng shui prodigy. One day, after my retirement, the former chief of our township asked me for help. So I walked around and picked a piece of land for him. Upon my recommendation, he hired a contingent of stonemasons, bricklayers, plasterers, and tillers, who worked nonstop for three months and converted the spot into a private cemetery. The township chief then moved all of his ancestors' tombs from seven kilometers away to the new spot. He also ordered the craftsmen to build a grave for himself, which was more spacious than his house. After the project was completed, the chief hosted a huge banquet, with twenty tables full of guests. I was invited but didn't go. I got my butt out of there as soon as I could. If a person becomes too greedy, he starts to carry bad energy. I was too afraid he could pass the bad energy on to me.

LIAO: The spot you picked for him was supposed to be auspicious. Why did you try to run away?

HUANG: People of different status are provided with different feng shui specs and with different levels of design. A good feng shui design requires the complete harmony of yin and yang elements. It should be neither inadequate nor excessive. The chief of the township broke all the rules of moderation. He heaped on himself the luxuries normally accorded to a provincial governor. You probably have heard about it. Inside his tomb, there was a long list of modern luxuries: a stone replica of a luxury car, a stone bed carved in the shape of a dragon boat, a room set aside for a nightclub with karaoke equipment. He even built a nice carved stone chair, specifically reserved for his meeting with the president of a multinational corporation in the world of the dead. He also specifically requested the company of “young ladies.” But the stonemason lacked the proper skills and none of the statues of young women looked pretty. You could hardly tell from their faces whether they were men or women. Building a tomb should be a private affair, but the township chief made it a huge public event.

It's hard to blame him. Throughout history, there have been many people like him. For example, Emperor Qin Shihuang [259 bc–210 bc] defeated other kingdoms and united China. After he established the Qin dynasty, he racked his brain and tried to figure out how it could last forever. While searching for an immortal pill, he also began to build his own grave. He wanted to take his wealth with him. Guess what? He ended up dying at the age of forty-nine. Soon after his death, his empire crashed. Do you see any difference between Emperor Qin Shi-huang and our government officials? They are in constant pursuit of gain for themselves and their descendants. When you overdo it, you achieve the opposite result.

Please excuse the digression. Since the township chief made a big deal of his tomb, he soon caught the attention of the local media. The pictures of his tombs were all over the paper. The county government read the report and sent out an investigative team to check how the tomb was financed. They found out that the chief had embezzled public funds. It became a huge scandal. A whole bunch of people under him—the village chiefs and the village party secretaries—were all implicated. They had all followed his bad example by illegally occupying public and private lands, and embezzling public funds to build their own tombs. Many peasants also followed their lead. Those who couldn't afford to get advice from a feng shui master began to build their own tombs near those of the officials. As you can see from here, there are several rows of empty tombs on the sunny side of the path.

LIAO: Were you implicated in the scandal?

HUANG: And how! The township chief blamed me for all his criminal activities. He told everyone that he had fallen into my superstitious trap. He said I had encouraged him to embezzle public funds to support his tomb-building project. He accused me of ruining his career and fortunes as well as those of his descendants. Then, many other party officials followed suit. They went to the police with the same accusations against me. Overnight, I became a criminal who was responsible for the revival of superstitious activities in the region. I had to run away and hide inside my own tomb for several months. Nobody knew where I was. They caught my nine-year-old apprentice and made him a scapegoat. The TV station shot a documentary about how the nine-year-old feng shui prodigy was a quack and deceived people with his tricks. After the documentary was aired, many people started to harass my family members. The public security bureau detained them for interrogation. Luckily, none of my family members knew the location of my hiding place.

As the investigation expanded, police began to target other feng shui practitioners. They ended up arresting over twenty of them. Those poor guys were publicly denounced at village meetings and paraded through the streets along with other criminals. I heard several of the younger feng shui guys have been sent to a reeducation camp around here.

Two years ago, there used to be an area in the marketplace for blind fortune-tellers and feng shui masters. I used to have a booth there and was in great demand. Many considered me a regional treasure. But police raided the area and made it illegal to practice fortune-telling and feng shui.

LIAO: Are you still on the run?

HUANG: No. Once the campaign was over, people forgot about me. Besides, I'm in my nineties. What can they do about me? I'm too old to do any physical labor if they decide to send me to the reeducation camp. If they do lock me up, I could corrupt more people in jail by giving them feng shui advice. Believe it or not, people love this kind of stuff. During the Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards also clamped down on feng shui and fortune-telling activities. But I never stopped my practice because there was always a need somewhere. People secretly invited me to their homes and asked for my advice.

LIAO: Yesterday, I walked around the area you just mentioned. It was empty. Apart from those who have been sent to the local reeducation camp, where are the rest of the fortune-tellers and feng shui masters?

HUANG: They have all gone to the neighboring provinces of Guizhou and Hunan. Modern transportation has made it much easier to move around. Sometimes, people in Guizhou and Hunan don't like outsiders to come in and invade their territories. Then, the Sichuan practitioners will travel to the coastal regions of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces where people are getting rich and desperately need the advice of fortune-tellers and feng shui masters. It's pretty easy to do business there. All you need to do is to show off a couple of your normal tricks and the locals will be all over you. However, it's a different story here. Since there is an oversupply of fortune-tellers and feng shui masters, you have to have solid skills to make money.

LIAO: I think the central government has launched a nationwide campaign against feudalistic and superstitous practices.

HUANG: You must be talking about witchcraft. I call that superstition. Recently, as feng shui and fortune-telling are out of favor, Witch Chen's business has started to pick up. Her house has been packed with customers. That witch only knows one trick: burn some fake paper money to appease the ghost and mix the ashes with water. She then has people drink the water, saying that it will cure them of illness. Apart from the water trick, she will also put on a Taoist costume and dance in a circle, mumbling to herself and screaming. She claims that the spirit of the Empress in Heaven possesses her, and the empress can help drive any illness or evil spirits from the patient's body. Who knows what kind of ghost has possessed her. She is illiterate, and can't read a single character. But she charges people fifty yuan [U.S. $6.40] per session. I don't know why people take her seriously. Mixing water with paper ashes is pure crap. Huh, when I was on the run from police, that woman profited from my misfortune. In this world, feng shui changes all the time. One minute, luck appears on the east, and the next minute, it moves to the west. It's like catching a mouse inside a quilt—you pounce on this end, and the mouse escapes from the other.

LIAO: Do you think your good luck will return soon?

HUANG: I bet it will. At the moment, people are very desperate and they all go visit Witch Chen. Once they realize that witchcraft doesn't work, they will begin to miss me. I grew up reading the books of Confucius. I spent years poring over the I Ching, the Book of Changes, and all the Taoist classics. I studied Chinese medicine for many years. In the old days, a person with my knowledge and talents would have been picked by a governor or an emperor to be his adviser.

LIAO: With your advanced age, you are still filled with ambition. It's really admirable.

HUANG: I was very ambitious, but, as you know, I haven't had too much luck in this life because the feng shui surrounding my ancestors' tombs doesn't have any extraordinary features. I've spent several years studying and surveying this region, and finally located a precious spot where “the floating dragon falls between the penholder.” Based on my astrological calculations, the Huang family will prosper after I depart from this world.

LIAO: Could you explain a little more? I'm confused by the “floating dragon falls between the penholder” line.

HUANG: You know the mountain range here is called the Mountains of Penholders because there are three penholder-shaped mountains. I walked around the area with a compass many times. The spot for my tomb nestles right between the first penholder-shaped mountain and the second. Also, if you use binoculars, you will see the Wu River wending its way through the same area between the first and second mountain. In many ancient Chinese legends, the Wu River harbors a floating dragon. A poet once described the Wu River as “the floating dragon falls between the penholder.” Do you get it? I will reside in the same spot as the dragon, which will bless my future generations. Unfortunately, this treasured spot has not been discovered yet. Otherwise, with such good feng shui, this place should have produced an emperor. Sadly, the only famous thing we got here was a tribal headman.

LIAO: Back in the old days, a headman was quite powerful, like a little emperor who could get away with anything. Legend has it that the local headman had seventy-two tombs built all over the region with the same designs. He had those fake tombs constructed to confuse grave robbers. After he died, his descendants were instructed to murder or bury alive every single person at his funeral, including the coffin bearers. As a result, his tomb still remains a mystery and nobody knows which one of the seventy-two tombs is the authentic site. Countless numbers of grave diggers have combed through the area to locate the headman's body and the treasures buried with him. So, based on your calculations, it's fairly likely that the real tomb could be right here, under our feet.

HUANG: I don't think that headman's final resting place is somewhere around this prime spot. Otherwise, his descendants would have made it big. Well, on the other hand, he might have picked a good feng shui spot, but the natural and physical environment has changed. The good feng shui might have evaporated.

LIAO: Now that you mention it, I have noticed that the feng shui around here is really good. Look at the setting sun, resting glowingly between the two penholders. There is a nice heavenly breeze now. I can even smell a subtle fragrance.

HUANG: The scents actually come from the herbs that I have planted. The soil is so fertile. I planted over twenty different kinds of herbs in the springtime, and by summer leaves are sprouting all over the place. These herbs are more filling than crops. When I'm hungry, I simply harvest some herbs and chew them. The feeling of hunger will be gone right away. If you get some of these herbs, you can mash them into a thick paste and smear them around your mouth, your ears, under your armpits, and around your asshole. It will help prevent illness and drive away all sorts of bugs and evil spirits. Nowadays, I go days without eating. I simply sleep inside my tomb. My tomb is very dark inside. If a bug gets into my mouth, I can catch it with my teeth. Those earthworms taste pretty good. Snakes or scorpions are all scared of me.

LIAO: Those snakes and scorpions are dangerous.

HUANG: Nowadays, people are more poisonous than snakes or scorpions. In the sixties and seventies, people hurt one another as a result of Mao's political campaigns. In the nineties, people hurt one another in order to make more money. People are so degraded and selfish. Confucius used to call China a nation of formalities and kindness.

LIAO: Sounds like you are still smarting from the experience with the township chief. Can I go take a look at your tomb?

HUANG: That's top secret and I wouldn't allow anyone to see where my tomb is. I have spent years building it. For an old guy like me, it's no easy job. Since you are so persistent, let me give you a rough idea where it is. Look at that huge rock near the cliff. Half of it sticks out in midair. The base of that rock is surrounded by many smaller ones. All the rocks are connected seamlessly, as if they are bonded together with cement. Nobody knows that there is actually a secret tunnel under the rocks that can reach my tomb. It used to be a tiger's den. In 1961, a male tiger roamed around on this mountain. One day, the tiger became desperately hungry because most of the trees had been cut down and all the small animals killed. So the tiger went down to the villages for human prey. All the villagers came out with torches, beat their gongs, and chased the tiger all the way up to the mountain. They cornered the tiger near that rock. With no way to escape, he climbed up on top of the rock, jumped into the ravine, and killed himself. The villagers retrieved the tiger's body, skinned him, and barbecued the meat. Over a hundred people showed up and each one got a small piece to munch on. Later on, I heard that was the last tiger in the border region between Sichuan and Guizhou. After the tiger was killed, I went back to the rock and discovered his den, which was about twenty meters deep. So I dug a tunnel under it and converted the den into my tomb. Since then, I go stay there for a couple of days every month. I enjoy staying there because Ruan Hongyu is lying somewhere nearby. With her company, my nostalgia for this world is being diminished day by day.

LIAO: Ruan Hongyu?

HUANG: Do you remember the courtyard house by the side of this road? That was Ruan's house.

LIAO: Of course. She was a famous blind singer and had a great voice. I visited her once. She was in her eighties and her singing was as vibrant as that of an eighteen-year-old. I used to put a tape recorder in front of her and tape her singing folk songs. She would sing one song after another for hours.

HUANG: Yes, that was her. She has been dead for six years.

LIAO: What happened to her house?

HUANG: The courtyard has long been demolished. Ruan was a tough woman and she has become pretty dominant in the world of the dead. When a dead person is too strong, she affects the energy flow. The living will suffer. Her descendants had to move to find a new place so they could breathe.

LIAO: Was there anything going on between you two?

HUANG: I pursued her when we were both young. I'm three years her junior. We used to sing love songs to each other from across the mountain peaks. She was a pretty mountain flower and had many suitors. When it came to singing folk songs, nobody was her match. Singing folk songs from mountain peaks is a traditional courting ritual in the region. A boy and a girl sing to each other from separate mountain peaks all night long. It is like a contest. If the boy can defeat the girl, she will be his. I only competed with Ruan for half of the night and then acknowledged defeat. She lost both of her eyes during the Cultural Revolution. The Red Guards beat her up for singing decadent love songs. She was very stubborn and competitive all her life, but never made it big outside the area. So, after she passed away, I picked a nice resting place for her. The spot is close by and is very auspicious, better than the plot where her husband is buried.

LIAO: She was married to someone else?

HUANG: I think she married the wrong person. I wanted to borrow the feng shui from the world of the dead to correct her mistakes.

LIAO: She is dead. How can you correct her mistakes?

HUANG: I wanted us to be husband and wife in the other world.

LIAO: You are like the legendary Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, who didn't get to live in the same house when they were alive, but ended up buried inside the same grave.

HUANG: You can think whatever you want. I will join Ruan Hongyu in her grave. After we reunite in our afterlife, our family fortune will definitely take a turn for the better. As the saying goes, “When the floating dragon falls between the penholder, it heralds the thunderous rising of three generations.” Within three generations, the Huang family should be able to produce a regional lord, with thousands of acres of land bestowed on him by the government.

LIAO: Okay. But, Master, how could you share such good feng shui with an outsider like Ruan Hongyu? Aren't you married yourself ?

HUANG: I was. My wife died in the 1960 famine. Millions of people died from starvation that year. There was no way for me to afford a tomb with good feng shui. I just randomly found a spot, dug a shallow hole in the ground, and buried her. As you can tell, she was born poor and died poor. With her bad karma, she could spoil the good feng shui for my descendants if I'm buried with her after I die. However, if I'm buried alone, the yin and yang won't be in harmony. For this reason, I have to join Ruan Hongyu after death.

LIAO: I'm so confused by your idea of using Ruan Hongyu to benefit your descendants.

HUANG: Lao Tse, the founder of Taoism, once said: If you can explain what the way is, it is no longer the good way. Therefore, I cannot fully explain the mysterious karma that was bestowed on me and Ruan Hongyu.

LIAO: Have you shared your afterlife marriage plan with your family? As you probably know, you have no control once you die. Also, I don't think Ruan's family will allow you two to be buried together.

HUANG: This matter concerns the well-being of many generations to come. I will certainly tell the children of both families. I think they will understand. Actually, I have long prepared for our afterlife together. I'm going to let Ruan occupy this spot first. In this way, if our children do not respect my will after I die . . . I would move in myself when I'm still alive.

LIAO: I think they will freak out if they know about your plan.

HUANG: I have done enough for my children and it's time they understood me. My children have moved to the township. They are now living crammed inside the tall buildings with their kids on a noisy street. I like peace and quiet and refused to go with them. I'm an old man and I don't want to be a burden to them. Also, once Ruan Hongyu was gone, my only reason to live in this world was also gone. Even though I still helped people with their feng shui designs, my soul had already left. At the moment, my life is coming to an end, reaching zero. Zero is nature. The mountain is my home.

LIAO: Master Huang, it's not like we still live in ancient China, where you can find a remote place to live like a hermit. The mountain here, the river there, none of the pristine scenery will last. Soon, a developer will come and convert the area into a tourist site. If tourism business is good, I bet they will build a big entrance at the foot of the mountain, and market it as a newly discovered forest park. People would come from all corners of China on boats or by air. It's hard to believe that your tomb can remain hidden and the good feng shui can remain intact for twenty years after that.

HUANG: Your mind is filled with many inauspicious thoughts. You'd better go visit your friend in the village. It's getting late.