The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-12-27
Superstitions OF the Chinese.


A writer in Once Week says: Probably
the ft.ng shuy, or geomancy. The two
words mean simply "wind and water;" but
the true sense and import of this name for
the supers tition cannot be gathered from
these words. The real object o. the study
and profession of the art of ftsnq shuy is to
WOO the good and ward off the evil spirits, in
whose existence and power to bless or curse
the Chinese apparently entertain profound
belief. As northerly winds blow in China
from October to the end of March, it is not
very surprising that the natives associate
with them the death of Nature, as it were,
and look upon that quarter OF the compass
as the one from which evil Influences all
emanate; and as southerly winds prevail
during the rest and more cheerful part of the
year, they conclude that all good and bene-
ficial influences come from the south; con-
sequently, all the temples and houses which
can be so constructed are built to face the
south. But, observes Mr.. Moule, it is in the
selection OF sites fo- graves thai the talent of
the professor of flung shuy is chiefly displayed.
A thoroughly good situation must be one
open to the south, with nothing abruptly to
check the flow of the southerly blessing;
hill or rising ground, some tree or
other object, to check, puzzle, and defeat
the tide OF evil from that whitening region.
II the position be bad, tie dead, irri ated and
anuoyed by the unpleasant influence from the
north, make known their resentment by
causing sickness and other calamities to as
sail the family; and, finally, If the mischief is
not repaired they make it wither away. Each
village has its flung shuy, its luck; and the
hap Of tho M xUhn vyouI6 pnt down q
lucky tree, thus letting in stream OF curses
from the north, is said to be paralyzed and
withered on the spot. Chinese villages are
often built in squares, with houses on three
sides, and the entrance opens toward the
south. The two sides, as you enter, have diff
ferent degrees of honor and Importance; the
right hand is the green dragon, the lett the
white tiger: and if, by design or ACCIDENT, the
white tigers head be lifted higher than tie
dragons, or If any special advantage be gam
ed by the left, then the luck Of the place is
gone. 1t is interesting to notice that this su-
perstition flung Shuy, though it prevails 50
widely, ard has taken such deep root iu the
minds Of the people, is yet denounced in the
Sacred Edict as capital crime. The princi-
pie OF table-turning was known to the Chin
ese for centuries before it hecame popular
among Western nations. Inc plan they
adopt. we ate told, is to strew table with
flour or sand, and either to suspend writing
pencil so that the point may just touch the
liable, or to fix it IN the rim of an inverted
wicker rice basket, which must be balanced on
the fl. gers of two pc. sons. sitting oppo,i e
to eacn O;her. In either cLse, afer
quiet wa ting. the peucil will begin
to move,, and will answer ary questions
which may be put, by writing on the sanded
table, A Chinaman has been In ,wIi TO con-
suit an Oracle of this nature for the purpose
of filing up some names which were wanting
in his ancestral register. The difficulty OF ex-
posing this trick is very great, owing TO the
apparent impossibiity Of writing intricate
Chinese characters with pen suspended by
string. simply through the muscular energy
caused by the united will of the two medi-
ulns. The Chinese believe in ghosts, as will
be seen by the following account given by
Chinaman, of one which he alleged he had
himself seen. He was returning from Hang
chow to Nipgpo in one of the large passenger
boats, carrying from twenty to thirty per
sons, and propelled by two sculs at the stern,
with four men tracking on the bank. One
evening, with low moon dimly shining
through the mist, the traekers on the bank
shouted londly to the passengers. They stood
up in the boat, and saw, about thirty wards
beyond the foremost tracker, a figure as OF a
man. They called out, but there was no an
swer; they ran, and the ghost ran they stood,
and II sto- d. While they were intently watch
Ing, 1t turned and plunged into the slream'
but no ripple marked the face OF tne water,
and there was no noise nor spash as u enter
ed. II swan over the canal, scrambled out
on the other side, and was seen to disappear
in the mist beyond the bank,