In Chinese Yin House Feng Shui (funeral geomancy), the selection of a grave site is considered the utmost tribute to deceased loved ones and a crucial factor in honoring ancestors’ memories as well as influencing the destiny and development of the entire family’s descendants. Therefore, people attach great importance to the choice of grave sites. Consequently, in Feng Shui, tomb Feng Shui, also known as Yin House Feng Shui, requires mastering the five aspects of “dragon,” “cave,” “sand,” “water,” and “direction,” which are collectively referred to as the “Five Elements of Geography” by students of divination (Feng Shui masters). Ancient books record that “mastery of three out of the Five Elements of Geography can lead to wealth and status, while mastery of all five can make one a king.” Below is an analysis from these five perspectives:
- Dragon
In Feng Shui, the dragon represents mountain ranges, specifically those that undulate in a dragon-like manner. Feng Shui refers to continuous mountain ranges as dragon veins, which are viewed as unique geographical features in geographical environmental studies. Even flat lands have dragon veins, though they may not be as prominent as mountain dragon veins. Dragon veins can be traced along the flow of water and terrain, paying attention to their direction, ups and downs, and turns.
- Cave
In ancient times, the term “cave” referred to earth-built houses for habitation, representing auspicious land for ancient human residences or graves. Traditional Feng Shui gives the cave the moniker of “the cave of the dragon’s vein.” A good cave is considered auspicious or treasured land where qi (life energy) travels through the dragon’s vein and accumulates, condensing at the cave site. The cave also refers to the acupuncture point or cave site, and finding the cave in Feng Shui involves locating a place that retains wind and accumulates qi.
- Sand
In ancient Feng Shui, “sand” refers to mountains or peaks, specifically the layers of mountains surrounding the cave site at various distances. There are records of the Four Great Symbolic Animals—Azure Dragon, White Tiger,Vermilion Bird, and Black Turtle—representing directions, the Five Elements, and seasonal changes. The astronomer Zhang Heng’s book “Ling Xian” records: “The Azure Dragon coils to the left, the White Tiger crouches fiercely to the right, the Vermilion Bird flaps its wings in front, and the Spirit Turtle curls its head behind.” The nearby mountain that can be reached out and touched in front of the cave is called the “table mountain,” while the distant mountain that can be seen with the eyes is called the “auspicious mountain.” Behind the cave is the mountain where the cave forms, known as the “star mountain,” “main mountain,” or “backing mountain,” with the mountain supporting behind the cave called the “ghost star.” Among the sands on both sides of the cave are the Azure Dragon and White Tiger sands, with the ancient saying, “It’s better to have the Azure Dragon towering ten thousand feet high than to let the White Tiger raise its head.”
- Water
In Feng Shui, it is said that “mountains govern population, while water governs wealth.” Mountains can retain wind, and water can accumulate qi. Water is the lifeblood of the dragon, and the combination of sand and water, with mountains representing yang and water representing yin, leads to a vibrant qi-filled cave resulting from the joint nurturing of the dragon and water. Water is the lifeblood of the mountain family, as stated in “Zhouyi Yin Yang Zhai”: “Water is the lifeblood of the dragon. The qi outside the cave cannot be discerned without water to indicate its source; the cave cannot be discerned without water to mark its boundary.” In Feng Shui, where there is water, there is qi, and qi flows with the water. Water and qi move in the same direction. In the minds of Feng Shui masters, “auspicious land cannot be without water.” Therefore, when searching for auspicious land, one should first observe the water’s flow. This underscores the importance of water to the cave site.
- Direction
“Direction” refers to the orientation of the cave, the direction the grave faces, and the sitting and facing direction of the grave, which means the front-facing direction of the grave. One should examine the dragon, observe the sand, inspect the water, determine the cave, and then establish the direction. In ancient Feng Shui, the orientation of the cave can affect the deceased’s rest and the fortune of descendants. The upstream side of the grave is the mountain, and the downstream side is the direction. The orientations of the 24 Mountains have both auspicious and inauspicious aspects, and they can be adjusted by a third to the left or right. Ancient Feng Shui has the saying, “A slight deviation in the direction of the mountain can lead to a great disparity in wealth and status,” indicating that even a minor difference in orientation can result in significant differences in wealth. The water flow around the cave and the outlet of water have strict correlations with the orientation, with prosperous orientations leading to wealth and status, while generative orientations contribute to the prosperity of descendants.
When assessing Yin House Feng Shui, one must consider the Five Elements of Geography—dragon, cave, sand, water, and direction—in detail, striving to find land with all five elements, or at least three, which are already considered auspicious. Yin House Feng Shui has been handed down through countless generations in China, with the place where ancestors rest in peace being called Yin House. Just as Yang Houses (living residences) emphasize Feng Shui, Yin Houses do as well. Ancient wisdom believed that burying ancestors in auspicious Feng Shui land could bring good fortune, prosperity, and longevity to descendants.
