Feng Shui may date back 6000 years to ancient China. Legend has it that during the time of the Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) in prehistoric China.
 Feng Shui was originally used to choose propitious burial sites for the wealthy and palace locations for royalty. The ancient Chinese studied the signs the earth left behind (known as Geomancy), such as wind-worn trees, sharp protruding rocks or soft meandering streams. They thought the land's energy could make or break a kingdom. For instance, if the capital city was built on land with nourishing energy, the country would prosper; if it was built on land carrying malevolent energy, the country would suffer catastrophe. Likewise, if an emperor were buried on or near landforms with positive energy, his dynasty would last longer, and if he were buried on or near landforms with negative energy, his dynasty would fall.
At the beginning of the Chou (Zhou) dynasty (1122-207 BCE), King Wen first used the Pa-Kua to describe patterns of change in the natural world. By the eighth century BCE, the Chinese were using the Pa-Kua and the I-Ching to promote the flow of nourishing energy inside a city or a palace and thus bring the kingdom harmony and wealth.
The Han dynasty (206 BCE-219 CE) saw the founding of the art of Kan-Yu (Kan means "mountains" and Yu means "low places"), or the study of the energy carried in landforms. Kan-Yu was championed by the Taoists Huang-shih Kung and Ching Wu, who argued that geological bodies, particularly mountains and rivers, are filled with vital energy. The pathways of energy in mountains are called dragon veins, while those in waterways are called water dragons.
The three building blocks of Feng Shui was then laid down: i.e. the Compass, the Pa-Kua (in Cantonese) or Ba Gua (in Mandarin) (known in the west as Eight Trigrams), and the I-Ching (known in the west as the Theory of Change).
In the Chin dynasty (265-420 CE) everyday citizens started using Kan-Yu to choose sites for houses (Yang-domain Feng Shui) and burial grounds (Yin-domain Feng Shui). Since then, Feng Shui has been widely practiced till nowadays in China.
In ancient China, the Feng Shui master was a spiritual master as well. He studied the forces of nature, the direction and force of the wind and water, the surrounding elements, the qualities of yin and yang, the seasons, the earth energies, the quality of the land, the building materials, and the direction of the building in order to maximize the vital energy "Chi" of the dwelling. Each factor was crucial in building an auspicious place to live, worship or work.
Today, people all over the world are becoming aware of the importance of the many factors that affect the vital energy of buildings. However, many of us live and work in environments that were created without these factors in mind. Through the simple practice and learning some basic principles (tips) of Feng Shui, we can benefit in health, career, wealth, business, relationship, etc. It can be as simple as placing your couch in the best location in your living room, your table in the best location in your office, placing a tree in your garden/yard, or as complex as placing your house in the best location on your property.
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