How did Joseph Needham, the famous British authority on the history of science and technology, evaluate Chinese Feng Shui?

Joseph Need Ham, a famous British authority on the history of science and technology, regards Chinese Feng Shui as a "quasi-science". In his book "Science and Civilization in China", Joseph Needham called Chinese Feng Shui a "quasi-science" and "ancient Chinese landscape architecture." When discussing the harmony between Chinese architecture and nature, he did not hesitate to praise Chinese architectural culture: "When I first returned to Europe from China, one of my strongest impressions was the feeling of losing close contact with the weather. Wooden The lattice windows are papered, the walls are thinly plastered, the spacious corridors outside each room, the sound of raindrops falling on the courtyard and the small sky, the warm leather robes and charcoal fires - all these make people feel natural. The state of mind, rain, snow, sunshine, etc. In European houses, people are completely isolated from this state of mind. On the contrary, Chinese architectural plans "cannot lose their scenic nature." Chinese architecture is always in harmony with nature, rather than against it."

Joseph Needham had a deep understanding of Chinese people's water. He believed that "feng shui is different from divination" and quoted Charlie (Chad, The definition of Feng Shui: Feng Shui "is the art of harmonizing the earth's atmosphere in the universe where the living and the dead live." His basic understanding of the original meaning of Feng Shui is: the living room and the grave of the dead are not placed in the same place. In appropriate places, various disasters will harm the residents and the descendants of the deceased in the tomb; conversely, auspiciousness will bring longevity and blessings. Each place has its specific terrain, which locally restricts various atmospheres. , people adjust and choose the location according to the local terrain to achieve the harmony they long for. The power and nature of invisible Qi are always affected by the position of celestial bodies, so the Feng Shui of a place also takes the orientation of celestial bodies into consideration. Artifacts can improve Feng Shui.

He also commented on the landscape characteristics of Chinese Feng Shui. Feng Shui “generally favors winding roads, curved walls and twists and turns of buildings. Make sure they are suitable. Landscapes rather than dominate them. They avoid straight lines and geometric layouts so that in many ways, Feng Shui is beneficial to the Chinese people, such as it proposes planting trees and bamboo groves to protect against wind and emphasize the value of flowing water adjacent to houses. It is very superstitious in other aspects, but it still contains an aesthetic component, which can be explained by the overwhelming beauty of Chinese farmland and residential buildings.