Geomancy city(2)

They will then produce cakes and balls of rice pudding - hot and smooth. The pudding goes well with the local dressing of soybean sauce and chilies. They also make crispy rice chips.

Occasionally, in the evenings, visitors can join in a show of fire.

All families chip in their share of tiles, wooden sticks, sulfur and most recently, kerosene for fuel. Strong young men lay them up and set the pointed pile on fire. Balls of flame would explode upward toward the starry sky.

The redder the tile gets, the more auspicious it is supposed to be. It's good feng shui for those who witness the event. Most people stay for hours until only the ashes remain.

Originally, the fire event was the Hakka ancestors' annual autumn harvest celebration to thank gods for good yields and wish for a plentiful new year.

The residents of Bailu are migrants from the north. Although they do not farm anymore, they continue to honor the tradition that brings good fortune to them.

As you return to your room for a rest, meditate on the engraved symbols around - snakes, toads, deer and bats. If you happen to dream of the egrets, good fortune may come your way.

Your fortune could be in your hands

When you are in Ganzhou, visit the scenic Sanliao village located in the north of Bailu village.

The village crowns itself as the origin of feng shui theories.

Among the feng shui masters from the village are those who have chosen the sites for Beijing's Forbidden City and tombs of past emperors.

When one looks from afar, one is supposed to be able to see the perfect line-up of the village houses, shaped like a Chinese dragon, with very strong claws.

The village also has fortune-tellers who will offer to dissect your name, your zodiac sign, your birthday and wedding day.

And unless you follow a fortune-teller into the village now lined with newly erected mystic feng shui symbols and tablets, you will very likely be oblivious to the good omens, like how a water pond gathers good qi from the mountains and a family wall puts off evil spirits.

These fortune-tellers will imbue in you with time-honored rules of feng shui that may one day come in handy: Place an elephant in your house, it's the most auspicious animal; put a gourd at home, it gathers good fortune; if you have golden toad figurines, their mouths should face the safe so that you will accumulate more wealth.

There are so many rules. Unless one is a professional, one can't remember all of them. But there is one wise sentence to take away with you: Nobody but the gods can determine your fate, but good virtues work a very long way.

The mythic elements in chinese architecture

Concepts from feng shui geomancy and mythic elements of daoism are usually present in the construction and layout of Chinese architecture.

Timeless tranquility

Perching their beloved bird cages on the weatherworn bricks of the centuries-old city wall, a group of senior citizens gather in the open to bask in the early morning sun.