Feng shui is the Chinese geomantic practice that has gained substantial rise throughout the world in recent decades and is mainly known for its role in architecture and interior decoration.
The current research touches the topic of the increasing popularity of this ancient Chinese practice in modern western societies. It is divided in three distinctive chapters. The first part explores the theoretical and philosophical background of feng shui. There is a brief historical retrospect on the origins of its appearance, as well as on the written works that played a decisive role in its final formation. An attempt is made to comprehend the principles and the rules of this practice, while at the same time there is a short description on the methods, diagrams and geomantic instruments implied in a typical feng shui reading. In chapter two, the research concentrates on the interest of the Europeans for Chinese art and philosophy. Terminologies such as Orientalism, Chinoiserie and Japonisme are only few of the -isms that appeared from time to time in European trends. Subsequently the influences of Asiatic logics can be traced in the eponymous European architecture of the 20th century, providing a glimpse into the means that facilitated this exchange of ideals. The study of the past will inevitably lead to the study of the present. Hence, in the final chapter there is an analysis on contemporary examples of feng shui application both from the point of view of professional feng shui masters as well as from the part of architects that openly claim to have adopted this practice in there designs.
Cross-cultural exchanges are not new amongst different ethnic groups. However in our modern days, these processes have accelerated owing to the opening up of the international markets and to the phenomenon of globalization. In reference to the current pop culture of our time, it can be defined until what point feng shui continues to follow its original principles and thus it would be feasible to determine whether or not we can consider its contemporary expression as an example of a neo-feng shui variation. Its evolution in western societies has defined it as a new kind of pop spirituality that could be described as a cultural hybrid, since it combines aspects of its original ideals as well as western concepts.