Through the Lens of Fengshui

Abstract

Deeply invested in the fantastic topography of the Wuyi Mountains, the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi (1130–1200) had spent most of his life in that region. Zhu engaged with the Wuyi landscape through boating, cliff carving, education, literature, visual arts, and fengshui. Specifically, Zhu carved two inscriptions in 1175 and 1178 and founded the Wuyi Academy in 1183 near the carvings. Around the same time, Zhu passionately practiced fengshui and conducted many siting trips in Wuyi and the surrounding area. Zhu collaborated with the fengshui master Cai Jitong (1135–1198) to survey the larger Wuyi region and chose auspicious tomb locations for himself and his family. I argue that Zhu’s fengshui may have underlaid his decision to carve the cliff and establish his academy, helping him to determine promising locations in Wuyi and intervene in that landscape. This article highlights the ecological implications of Zhu’s cultural productions, recovering a forgotten episode of a local scholar’s continuous interactions with the natural environment.