Surayud Courts Feng Shui Fortunes

The following article was first published on Friday April 20, 2007 on Bangkok Post's website:

Workers install reflective road studs, or cat's eyes, on the access road to Government House. The work was carried out simultaneously with the re-arrangement of the area's landscape, reportedly to conform to feng shui principles to improve the government's fortunes. — SAROT MEKSOPHAWANNAKUL

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's staff have had Government House re-arranged, seemingly to conform with feng shui principles and lift the government's waning fortunes. Workers on Tuesday installed a fountain outside the Violet Room _ the prime minister's office.

Potted plants carrying auspicious names were brought in and put on the stairs to the back entrance of the government's headquarters and in other places around the building.

According to one report, all pictures of former prime ministers have been removed from the building. It is not known where the pictures have been stored.

The prime minister's staff sought advice from a feng shui master in the hope that this could help the government survive until the end of the year.

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese practice of positioning buildings, furniture and objects to achieve harmony with the environment and gain prosperity.

Gen Surayud's predecessors are also known to have turned to feng shui masters for advice and adjusted their workplace in one way or another to improve their fortunes.

During the term of former prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan, a new, larger spirit house was put up on the premises of Government House under the close supervision of Thanpuying Boonruen, Gen Chatichai's wife.

She also had a large pane of glass installed near the staircase leading to Gen Chatichai's office to dispel bad luck, though the Chatichai administration was eventually overthrown in a coup by a group of military leaders who formed the National Peace-keeping Council.

The Thai Rak Thai party had resorted to the same philosophy to improve its fortunes.

Late last year, the then ruling party installed statues of the singha, a mythical animal, at the entrance of its former headquarters on Phetchaburi road.

Recently, the party moved to a new office building on Rama III road in Bang Kho Laem district. The new location is also believed to conform to feng shui principles.


All rights of the above article belongs to © Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2007

Who Uses Feng Shui Nowadays?

Long gone are the days when Feng Shui was the talk among superstitious housewives in the marketplace. The art has now a different genre of audience and they are taking it to a much higher and professional level, reminiscing the old days when Feng Shui was championed by the Emperors of ancient China and not a mediocre practice among the populace. The list below will serve as an eye-opener for skeptics of Feng Shui and show how many people out there are actually using it as an extra edge in their ventures. I doubt these people and organisations are ignorant enough to apply something that has no functional value. So here are the people and organisations that have used Feng Shui in their life and buildings:

Individuals:

Bill Clinton

Harry E. Sloan (Chief Executive of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.)

Merrill Lynch

Tommy Hilfiger

Emanuel Ungaro

Donna Karen

Madonna

Boy George

David Duchovny

Gillian Anderson

Cher

Brooke Shields

Sharon Stone

Cybil Shepherd

Eric Clapton

Shirley MacLaine

Andie McDowell

Patricia Arquette

Fran Drescher

Sarah Jessica-Parker

Mariah Carey

Ricky Martin

Courtney Cox

Lisa Kudrow

Kevin Spacey

Johnny Depp

George Clooney

Oprah Winfrey

Ellen Degeneres

Steven Speilberg

Donald Trump (Riverside West and Trump Towers. Afterwards he appeared on Dateline NBC vowing to use Feng Shui in all future projects.) A quote from him: "I don't have to believe in Feng Shui. I do it because it makes me money."

Companies:

Aristocrat Leisure (Australia)

British Airways

British Telecom

Coca-Cola

CBS TV Studios

Citibank

Charles Schwab

Chase Manhattan Bank

Cathay Pacific

Conde Nast Publishing

Ripley's Believe It or Not (Head Office in Orlando, Florida)

News Corp.

Proctor & Gamble

Hewlett-Packard

Ford Motors

Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

Hong Kong Disneyland

Los Angeles Zoo

Taipei Railway Station

Taiwan's Taipei 101 tower, the tallest skyscraper in the world

Marks and Spencer (U.K.)

Virgin Airways (U.K.)

The Body Shop

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong)

Macquarie Bank (Australia)

Mortgage Choice (Australia)

JeansWest (Australia)

Grey Global Group (a marketing communications organization in Australia)

Sydney's Willoughby council (Australia)

Hiscocks Insurance

Guam International Airport

Morgan Stanley

Mandarin Oriental Hotel (Hong Kong)

Hyatt Hotels

Motorola

Universal Studios

TD Waterhouse

Panasonic

Kellogg's

Sony

Shell

Singapore Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort

Singapore Raffles Hotel

German autobahn rest stops have been designed using feng shui principles to help calm and rejuvenate motorists.

Beirut gas station utilizes feng shui to harness cosmic energy. Feng shui principles are to be added at all Medco's new gas stations.

Then it might surprise you to know that many Fortune 500 companies are using Feng Shui.

Burbank Police Department invited Feng Shui consultants to take part in a panel discussion regarding how Feng Shui applications might be used.

Former president Bill Clinton is said to have had the White House "feng shuied," and progressive school administrators and city officials have given a nod to the practice as well.

Regards
Alvin Chua