Superstitious or not, the recent launching of a fengshui training program -- the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland -- was a newsmaker.

The training program, at the co-sponsorship of the China Architectural Culture Center under the Ministry of Construction and the elite Nanjing University based in eastern Jiangsu Province, aims to teach basics about traditional Chinese architecture and the ancient practice of fengshui.

Fengshui, which translates as "wind and water", is a centuries-old Chinese discipline of geography, architecture, ethics and prophecy based on the Daoist principle that the earth, sky and homo sapiens are part of one whole.

As fengshui makes a comeback in China, people, particularly the upwardly mobile, go to fengshui experts for everything from how to decorate homes to where to rent office space.

Amid widespread media reports about the event, however, Nanjing University denied its involvement in the training program over the weekend, the Beijing News reported Monday.

"We're not involved whatsoever in the 'fengshui' courses," a staff at the president's office was quoted as saying. "Those reports are all baseless and are sheer fabrications."

Without giving her name, she said the deal was reached between China Architectural Culture Center and the university's Book of Changes Research Institute. "The institute does not represent Nanjing University and their pact does not bear the university's official seal," she noted.

Professor Li Shuyou, head of the institute, declined to comment.

On September 5, the Nanjing-based "Jinling Evening News" carried a special report entitled "Nanjing University professor refutes bias against 'fengshui masters'", which was based on an exclusive interview of Li, a professor of philosophy.

The "Yangzi Evening News", another leading local newspaper, published a critical editorial the very next day. "Fengshui has been denounced ever since new China was founded. Does the university mean to promote science or superstition?" it asked.

Sources with the Beijing-based China Architectural Culture Center, nevertheless, said the program will continue despite Nanjing University's public disavowal. "The university board is probably under pressure because fengshui is a sensitive topic anyway," said one university source on condition of anonymity.

Xu Shaoshan, a researcher with the center, said their two registration offices in Beijing and Nanjing had received more than1,000 phone queries by last Friday, mainly from realtors, self-acclaimed fengshui tellers and people who are merely interested.

The registered trainees, which have topped 20 so far, will pay 5,800 yuan (about 720 US dollars) each to attend courses that are to be given by renowned architects, including two academicians.

Pros and cons -- the long-running debate

As a matter of fact, the debate over whether "fengshui" is science or superstition had been going on long before the new training program was launched -- with top scientists on both ends.

Tao Shilong, a noted science fiction writer, warned in an online forum earlier this year that fengshui was making a comeback in China "in the name of science".

His view was echoed by Chen Zhihua, a renowned architect and Qinghua University professor. "Fengshui is no science. It only swells some swindlers' wallets," he said.

In China's rural areas, two families often fight over one piece of land that promises good "fengshui". "Sometimes it becomes a feud that continues for generations. These are tragedies of the Chinese nation," said Chen.

But Professor Yu Xixian of Beijing University thinks otherwise.

"Many people tried to discourage me when I took up fengshui study in the 1980s," he said. "As far as I remember, fengshui consulting was first discouraged in the 1920s, when Western architectural culture entered China."

Though the Chinese government never banned the practice officially, fengshui is defined in Chinese dictionaries as "superstitious beliefs in ancient China".

Fengshui studies that were revived in interior Chinese regions starting in the 1980s were also widely criticized, said Yu.

"Fengshui, having long been part of the Chinese culture, was already found in Yangshao culture period some 6,500 years from today," he said. "It has superstitions intertwined with scientific beliefs."

"Most people take it as a magic trick, but really, it's all about the simple philosophy of living in harmony with your environment," said Prof. Han Zenglu of Beijing Civil Engineering University.

As a specialist on city planning, Professor Han said frankly he "admires the seasoned fengshui masters in ancient times".

"Fengshui stresses balance and coordination in the overall urban planning, ideal space between buildings and comfort of the dwellers -- modern architectures often lack these qualities," said Han, 68. "What Chinese-style buildings do we have for foreign tourists to see today? The skyscrapers most cities are building are the same everywhere in the world."

Popularity regained

"It's no news at all for fengshui to enter universities," said Professor Yu, who offered fengshui studies in the early 1990s as an elective course open to all students at Beijing University. "The auditorium was packed with more than 100 people each time."

Professor Yu has also been giving lectures on fengshui at several universities in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where people have remained keen on the subject.

"In fact, Fengshui is quite popular in many countries. A student from the Republic of Korea got the world's first PhD in Fengshui studies, in the U.S., in the 1970s," he said. "A Japanese professor once told me at least 110 universities in Japan offer fengshui courses."

In the 1980s, fengshui became popular in Europe, too, he said.

Mr. Cao, a self-proclaimed "fengshui expert" who has registered at the training program in Nanjing, said there's massive potential for him in the countryside.

"The villagers often consult a fengshui master when they need to build a new house or misfortunes keep haunting their families," said Cao, from Gaochun county on the outskirts of Nanjing.

Another fengshui practitioner based in Nanjing said at least 70percent of the city's real estate projects are appraised by fengshui masters before construction starts.

Whether it is science or superstition, today's fengshui consulting service is almost 100 percent commercial, said Prof. Cai Dafeng with the Shanghai-based Tongji University.

"Fengshui undoubtedly deserves further research from the folk culture and architecture standpoints, but it's irresponsible to promote it merely for economic reasons," said Professor Cai.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2005)