Bridges
As discussed earlier, a house with a front door that clash directly with the flow of traffic does not mean it is an inauspicious house. It is like the different permutations of the Five Elements producing different feng shui effects. Is the location of a bridge considered bad feng shui? Bridges play an important influencing factor in feng shui, particularly in relation to buildings sited around them. In the book Zhai Pu Da Cheng, which deals with the study of geomantic sites of houses and buildings, a bridge locks the flow of water, meaning, wealth will be permanent. The lucky person is described as “yu dai huan yao”, literally, wearing a jade belt around his waist. Prospects for wealthy and marriage are extremely good. However, other factors have to be taken into consideration and sometimes the effects are entirely the opposite.
Case Study
Mr. Gao had emigrated to Vancouver for more than 10 years and ran a restaurant in a small town. He has heard that many Asian immigrants are doing very well in the big cities, so Mr. Gao decided to relocate his family to a big town. He opened a Chinese restaurant near a bridge. Business was bad since day one and within six months, he had problems keeping up with overheads. He thought that maybe the feng shui there was bad. One day, we bumped into each other.
Analysis
His shop is situated in the Wood site and not far from the Fire site. Wood burns in Fire, creating light and brightness. This is supposed to be an auspicious location. However, on the right of the shop, which is the White Tiger site, I noticed bridge and road works going on. The White Tiger site belongs to the Earth element and Earth extinguishes Fire. Furthermore, the stove in the restaurant kitchen is built on top of the Water site. Again, Water puts out Fire. To rectify the problem, the first step is to move the stove to a Wood position. This will strengthen the Fire-Wood combination. Next, paint the signboard with gold colour. Gold, being a metallic colour, is likened tot he Metal element. Metal melts to flow like water. Mr. Gao took my advice and three months later, when the bridge and road works were completed, business in his restaurant improved tremendously. He rang and thanked me for my advice.