The Art of Feng Shui

Ho Da-ming’s new restaurant was failing. His customers rarely came back. Why? Mr Ho contacted a feng shui consultant to find out. Feng shui (meaning ‘wind and water’) is the ancient Chinese art of placing things in your surroundings. According to this art, the arrangement of furniture, doors and windows affects our health, wealth and happiness. Mr Ho was concerned about his business but he didn’t give up. Following the consultant’s advice, he remodelled and redecorated his restaurant. His actions paid off. Soon business picked up and Mr Ho became rich. ‘It was the best decision I ever made,’ he says happily. And he isn’t alone in his enthusiasm. Feng shui has caught on with modern architects and homeowners everywhere.

Exercise 29 Complete this student’s diary entry with the correct particles.

I’ve just finished reading an article about feng shui. At the end, the author suggests sitting (down, up) in your home and thinking about how your surroundings make you feel.

So, today when I got (up, back) from university, I tried it. I noticed that my flat is really quite dark and it makes me feel down. I think with the addition of some lights, I’d cheer (away, up) a lot. I’ve come (out, up) with other ideas, too.

My flat is small but I think it will look more spacious if I just tidy (out, up) more often. Putting up some more shelves for my books might work (down, out) well. With just a few small changes, I could end (out, up) feeling happier in my own home.

It’s certainly worth trying (on, out)!

Exercise 30 Read this article about the architect I.M. Pei. Complete it using the correct form of the following phrasal verbs: come up with, give up, go back, go up, grow up, carry on, pay off, turn out.

Born in 1917, Ieoh Ming Pei ... in Canton, China. When he was seventeen, he went to the United States to learn about building. As it ..., Pei became one of the most famous architects of the twentieth century.

Pei is famous for his strong geometric forms. One of his most controversial projects was his glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris. The old museum had a lot of problems but no one wanted to destroy it. Pei had to ... a solution. Many Parisians were shocked with his proposal for a 71-foot-high glass pyramid. It ... anyway, blending with the environment. Today many people say that it is a good example of the principles of feng shui.

Pei ... despite criticism. He strongly believed that ‘you have to identify the important things and press them and not ...’. His determination ... . He continued to build structures that reflected the environment. Pei received many prizes for his work. He used some of the prize money to start a scholarship fund for Chinese students to study architecture in the United States and then to ... to China to work as architects.