In the last post we looked at an overview of Feng Shui and some of the basic principals associated with the practice. Did you know Disney gave a lot of consideration to the principals of Feng Shui when it built Disney Hong Kong?

There is some common sense that goes with this considering the history of Disney and when it opened it Euro Disney in Paris. Turns out Disney did not impress Europeans as they neglected and ignored a lot of local traditions. When building Disney Hong Kong, they learned from their lessons and hired Feng Shui experts to consult and advise them on the building of the park. Disney really tried to pay attention to cultural influences and Feng Shui played a big role. In fact, Disney made modifications to existing designs in order to include these Feng Shui suggestions so it cost them money as well. Here is what they did to implement Feng Shui and respect local traditions:

• One of the park’s main ballrooms measures 888 square meters because 8 is a number of fortune
• In Chinese, 4 is bad luck, because it is pronounced like the Chinese word for death, so there are no fourth-floor buttons in the elevators at the park hotels.
• Cash registers are close to corners or along walls, where their placement is believed to increase prosperity.
• In the park’s upscale restaurant, Crystal Lotus, Disney installed a virtual koi pond where virtual fish dart away from guests when they walk on a glass screen. The pond is one of five Feng Shui elements in the restaurant, including wood, earth, metal and fire, which glows on a screen behind bottles in the bar.
• Disney shifted the angle of the front entrance gate by 12 degrees to ensure prosperity for the park.
• They put a bend in the walkway from the train station to the gate, to make sure the flow of positive energy, or chi, did not slip past the entrance and out to the China Sea.

It is clear Disney put a lot of emphasis on Feng Shui but it is also clear that was to respect local tradition and culture. Those same Feng Shui techniques are not be implemented back here in the states…at least not to my knowledge.

So know that you know about Feng Shui and how it applies to business, what about your own home? Ever think about implementing some aspect of Feng Shui ? For me, Feng Shui is less about respecting ancient Chinese culture but more about creating positive energy. To me, do what works best for you to create this positive energy, even if it doesn’t involve the 5 elements or the bagua. We will close out this topic next time with some simple things you can do in your home to create some positive energy as it relates to Feng Shui.

Resources:

• Wikipedia and Feng Shui -
• For more in-depth reading on how Disney “bowed” to Feng Shui, read this article by the New York Times

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