by Narelle Hooper 
Business Review Weekly November 25 1996

SIOU FOON LEE strides into the building and casts around a practised eye. Hmm, the revolving doors at the entrance to the CBD office tower are good; the feng shui practitioner nods. But when she arrives at BRW's new Sydney offices inside the building and checks out the layout, she is not impressed at all, in spite of the harbour views. Hmm, not an auspicious seating arrangement.

She takes out her red Chinese compass and begins asking about construction dates and wants to see the building plans. She starts a few calculations. Clearly, her evaluation goes deeper than suggestions about where to put the furniture and install a mirror.

Lee is on the call list of many in Sydney's Chinese community, who summons their feng shui expert before they call in the interior designer for their homes and businesses.

But she says feng shui is becoming more widely appreciated by Westerners. Among organisations that have sought advice are from Virgin Airlines, Mark & Spencer, Credit Lyonnais, the Bank of England, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation and the United Nations. Lee was among speakers on the topic at Sydney's recent Mind Body and Spirit festival. Her clients include health clinics, multi media companies and real estates agents.

Feng Shui ( meaning wind and water, and pronounced phong shway ) is the three thousand-year old Chinese art of living in harmony with the environment. It is based on the Taoist philosophy of nature that includes the Yin and Yang forces.

Its starting point is that we reflect the universe in ourselves and are an integral part of it. "We follow the same course marked by night and day, the four seasons, growth and decay, as does the universe," she says.

According to the philosophy, all forms of life are animated by a life force called qi or chi, which is reflected in our energy. Being healthy requires a balance between the Yin and Yang ( positive and negative ) energies within the body, as well as with the environment. ( Lee says illness represents dis-ease of the body, a disturbance in the energy balance. )

Like many Eastern therapies that have become popular as New Age remedies, the ancient Chinese philosophy of feng shui has become a pop culture. Magazines run columns on it and a host of books have turned their readers into instant experts on such things as installing mirrors and pot plants and placing beds in the right place. " A lot of people have been jumping on the band wagon," she says. Many Chinese had also forgotten the principles behind it. " You find that much of it is common sense," she says.

Lee and her husband migrated to Australia in 1988. She grew up in Malaysia, where she worked as a teacher for 24 years. Then she decided it was time for some self development. She became drawn to the study of qi. " I went back to my roots to find out more, " she says.

She learned Chinese healing massage, in which the therapist works on the acupressure points in the body, to ensure the qi flows freely and evenly. She would help rebalance her clients energy, but "then they would go back into an environment that was not positive".

"It is not enough to enhance the flow of qi in the body, you have to go a step further and take it into the environment, " she says. She studied feng shui under Master Henry Liu from China, who now resides in Australia.

Her practise now covers massage and feng shui. It is tailored very much to personal needs, aiming to minimise negative energy and maximise the positive. Traditionally, feng shui also incorporates the time dimension. This can influence the start up of a business, or renovation or construction work.

She begins with some Chinese astrology, to establish in which period the client was born or which 20- year period the building was built. For a building, this determines which direction is most auspicious.

Though buildings are man made, they are considered part of nature. The location of the building, its position in relation to surrounding landmarks, roads, water and hills are relevant. She says this and the arrangement of structures such as doors, windows, the furniture and objects within, and the seating arrangement of decision-makers determine the well being and fortune of the occupants.

In Sydney's case the harbour and nearby Blue Mountains make it a good location for the favorable life force. Buildings should be built with an eye to the future and should allow scope for changes to maximise the positive qi.

Much of the advice is about avoiding unexpected poison arrows - " little objects of man made structures placed without consideration to harmonious energy" - such as sharp corners that jut out. Another would be placing the entry and exit doors directly opposite each other, which would not allow the qi to accumulate. It also extends to such issues as where to sit during a meeting to make the most of energy flow, and where to place one's desk to maximise focus and decision making.

She emphasises that although feng shui can help a person's luck, "it cannot change their destiny." She says ultimately, feng shui depends on human virtues. "First luck, second, destiny, third feng shui, fourth virtues, fifth, education. Man may want big changes, but Heaven luck has the final say." - N.H. A