CAO Qi is an artist specializing in Taoist themes. When he gives classes about Chinese calligraphy and painting he will usually talk about the theory of fengshui (Chinese geomancy), to the delight of his students.

　　The 61-year-old artist says that undertaking research into fengshui is both a passion and a kind of science to him.

　　For a long time, fengshui was considered to be a superstition by most people. Beginning during the Han Dynasties (206 BC - AD 220), it was almost extinguished by the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

　　Cao said he once read a story written by Chen Congzhou of Tongji University which said Harvard University had assigned several rooms to collecting and preserving ancient Chinese books on fengshui. The old professor exclaimed that Chinese scholars, when they decided to research the same topic, would have more difficulty finding materials.

　　But recently fengshui seems to have undergone a revival. Cao has been invited to talk about fengshui to real estate developers wanting to choose an auspicious place to construct buildings. Ever more books about fengshui are available. If you click on fengshui in the google search engine, 102,000 items are listed.

　　"From my point of view, fengshui is not superstition, if we translate this name into modern language, it might be called as 'environmental planing'," he said. "My definition of fengshui is finding the best and most harmonious co-existence between nature, buildings and human beings."

　　"You see, if we adapt the ancient way of speaking to a more modern description of fengshui, it seems more understandable. Being in harmony with the environment will definitely benefit life."

　　As the eldest son of a businessman, Cao enrolled in Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1978 and studied art theory for four years.

　　It was Chang Renxia, his professor at the academy, who introduced him to religious art. But he didn't follow the professor's footsteps, researching into Buddhist art, turning instead to Taoist art. Later he wrote the section on Taoist art for the Encyclopedia of China.

　　From then on Cao started to take an interest in fengshui. His graduation essay on "The Design Concept of Ancient Chinese Tombs" focused on the fengshui of Chinese emperors' tombs.

　　While writing this essay, from 1978 to 1979, Cao said he investigated every tomb in the suburbs of Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, an ancient capital city.

　　He found most of them had their backs towards high mountains and faced rivers. "They occupied typical good places according to the fengshui theory," Cao said.

　　Emperors would symbolize their authority by the high mountains and their achievements by mountains with good reputations.

　　But for ordinary people, fengshui was a way to find a place with mountains and water, those generally considered to be good environments. With a good environment, people could live healthily. That's why such places were thought as "fengshui baodi" (treasured places for fengshui).

　　In Shanghai, the most treasured place is the location of the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank on the Bund, according to Cao. This is also the original location of the city government and the HSBC. Facing the Huangpu River and standing in the most flourishing area of the city, this place has been booming for years.

　　"Sometimes, fengshui is also a kind of psychological clue. Living in a place acknowledged to be good, people would naturally feel confident and their mood would be cheerful," he said. "Such people would attribute their good fortune to the good fengshui."

　　But Cao is not very satisfied with today's construction planning. "In some places, you will find buildings are too messy and disordered, which could lead to disorder in Qichang," he said. Qichang refers to the field of energy.

　　Cao criticized some tourism spots where too many hotels and man-made rivers were clustered.

　　"It could damage the fengshui, because the mountains and rivers have been cut, they will be dead soon. Scientifically speaking, it damages the balance of nature," he said.

　　When ancient people constructed a temple or a palace, they would try not to cut trees and stones. Instead they considered these natural items, even a tree or a stone, to be parts of the construction.

　　"When I write calligraphy or paint, I utilize the space on the paper in such a way that there is harmony in the qichang. If you appreciate Chinese painting carefully, you will find it is a kind of fengshui painting," he said. "The person, the scene and the house co-exist in a perfect way."