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What’s On Victoria August 2006 HARMONY IN MELBOURNE’S Chinatown Words & Images: Susan V. Miles Take a tour though Melbourne’s colourful and fascinating Chinatown with a Feng Shui Master. Chinatown, Melbourne: 10am on a cold morning in the narrow alley-like Little Bourke Street, Chinatown looks neither interesting nor inviting. Waiting in the shadows of a giant red archway, Chinatown Square, to me, looks more like part loading bay and part car park – but then I was never much of a morning person! Our smiling host Jodi Brunner meets our small group. With waist length flowing hair and green Chinese silk blouse, Jodi looks like an enthusiastic backpacker just back from a trek across the orient. But Jodi is no western novice. She is a recognized Master in the art of Feng Shui. Described as part science, part mathematics, this practice that pre-dates recorded history, explores the aspects of time and space that create (or disturb) the balance and harmony in our lives. We have joined Jodi on the streets of Chinatown, not to learn the in-depth philosophies and concepts of Feng Shui, but to enjoy an entertaining and novel introduction by exploring these unfamiliar streets with “Feng Shui” eyes for a few hours. Jodi starts her tours in Chinatown’s square as it provides the perfect visual id to introduce the basic foundation of Feng Shui. The four animal concept provides us with the red phoenix, representing the open “yang”; the black tortoise, the closed protective “yin”, the dragon and the tiger. In the square, the open entrance of the 3-tiered red archway provides the opportunity for the positive chi energy to flow into the space. The black tortoise at the back of the square represents the required protection at the rear – a philosophy even we westerners adhere to, with women offered the seat in a restaurant against the wall but facing the doorway! The proverbial “date seat” affords black tortoise protection as well as openness to positive chi! The bordering animals of dragon, yang on the left the higher side, and tiger on the right the lower side, not only represents the classic masculine and feminine, but align with the idea that the energy of chi flows from top to bottom. As a result, this needs a high point to enter and a protective barrier to capture at the low point. The dragon is also a metaphor for the topography of the land and where the positive locations are to build a home and live. The head and tail, the volatile ends, are considered unsafe, while the secure protective belly is recommended as the ideal location. Jodi encourages her group to think of this concept in terms of our own Dandenong Ranges. Looking for the belly of the dragon with the openness to the valley in the front and the protection of the mountains at the rear, it is a good location for a home in terms of Feng Shui. Before leaving the square, we look to the guarding dragons at the entrance. In pairs, they are male and female placed to the right and left respectively. With this basic knowledge of Feng Shui, we head off to explore the various aspects of Chinatown. We soon discover that doorways to restaurants and hotels are aligned at opportune angles to capture the flowing chi down the street, entranceways are wide and unobstructed to create positive open spaces and a pair of male and female dragons guard protectively at many doorways. However, there are also the negative aspects of Feng Shui to address. The “poison arrow” of the angular point of an opposite building or the “heaven-chopping shaft” of a darkened alleyway facing a businesses doorway required counteractive measures. To deflect these negative energies an octagonal-shaped mirror is placed. As we traverse from examples of positive Feng Shui to negative, we become accustomed to reading the signs. Collective knowing “ahs” and shocked “ohs” ring from the group as we start to see Chinatown with Feng Shui eyes. Our next stop is the gifted gardens from our sister city in Tianjin. A stone’s throw from Parliament House in Spring Street, we see all the elements of positive Feng Shui brought together in one environment. Flowing water represents active, flowing chi, tall straight bamboo plants are indicative of the strength of the human spirit and protective dragons guard the open entrance. However, this peaceful setting has also had some controversy. With the dragons’ spirit brought to life with the subterfuge painting of their eyes open not long after the park was open in the 1990s, Feng Shui masters predicted this as a negative for the neighboring state government. Even with the painted eyes removed, we can all admit it wasn’t a great time for the government of the day! We end our tour at the Dragon Boat Palace, the welcoming restaurant of current and popular Lord Mayor John So. Before we sit to enjoy a multiple course lunch of Yum Cha, a final lesson in the influence of time in Feng Shui takes place. With the change of time, comes change in the linear direction that is most positive to capture the positive chi. Jodi points to structural changes to doorways, entrances, even the fish tank, to create an environment to make the most of the earth luck that Feng Shui is said to bestow. at a glance… Due to the Feng Shui tours not being run on a regular schedule, for further enquiries regarding tour dates contact Jodi Brunner. However, group tours can be organised on request for a minimum of 10 guests. Web: www.fengshuimaster.com.au Prices: The two-hour walking tour costs $25.00 per person. Tours are conducted at a quick pace, up and down Little Bourke Street, so comfortable walking shoes are a must! Ó Copyright Jodi Brunner 2006 All Rights Reserved |