Exterior Environment — Residential Site Selection and Assessment of the Surrounding Environment

I. From Interior to Exterior: Expanding the Feng Shui Perspective

Throughout our discussions in Chapters Six through Eight, our attention remained focused on the interior of the dwelling — Chapter Six addressed the directional coordination of the three core elements of door, master bedroom, and kitchen stove; Chapter Seven refined the arrangement of each functional zone; and Chapter Eight was devoted to identifying the various forms of Sha qi (negative energy) found both inside and outside the dwelling, along with their remediation methods. Together, these chapters constitute a complete body of knowledge on the "interior configuration" of Yang dwelling (living space) Feng Shui practice.

However, the Feng Shui quality of a residence is by no means determined solely by interior arrangement. On the contrary, in the hierarchy of values that governs traditional Feng Shui theory, the selection of the external environment has always held the foremost position. The celebrated Qing dynasty Feng Shui master Shen Zhuyi observed: "For Yang dwellings, the foremost concern is the grand configuration. When the grand configuration is favorable, any deficiencies in the interior configuration may be remedied through human effort; but when the grand configuration is unfavorable, even the most precisely arranged interior configuration can scarcely reverse the declining momentum." This is entirely consistent with the principle of "avoidance as the supreme strategy" among the five remediation approaches discussed in the preceding chapter — if one has chosen the right location, many interior configuration problems will never arise; if one has chosen the wrong location, even the most skillful interior adjustments amount to little more than mending the fold after the sheep have escaped.

This chapter expands our perspective from the interior of the dwelling to the external environment, systematically presenting methods for the Feng Shui assessment of residential site selection and surrounding conditions. We shall return to the core principles of the Form School, taking Storing wind and gathering Qi (vital energy) as our overarching guideline, and combining this with the directional analysis tools of the Compass School, to provide readers with a practical framework for assessing the exterior configuration within the modern urban environment.

II. Returning to Fundamentals: Storing Wind and Gathering Qi as the Governing Principle of Site Selection

The very opening of Chapter One cited the classical definition from Guo Pu's Book of Burial: "Qi (vital energy), when met by wind, scatters; when bounded by Water, it halts. The ancients gathered it so that it would not scatter, and directed it so that it would come to rest — this is what is called Feng Shui." This passage reveals the ultimate objective of the Feng Shui discipline: to find for human habitation an ideal environment in which Qi can gather without dispersing and linger without stagnating.

Translated into practical site selection, this principle yields two most fundamental criteria for judgment:

First, wind should be stored rather than allowed to rage freely. The location of a dwelling should not be an exposed site where the open expanse on all sides allows fierce winds to blow directly through. The "Isolated Peak Sha" described in Chapter Eight — where a building stands far taller than its surroundings and is exposed to wind on all four sides — is a quintessential manifestation of "wind not being stored." An ideal site should afford some degree of shelter, so that by the time airflow reaches the dwelling it has already slowed and softened, maintaining ventilation without allowing the Qi of the residence to be dispersed by gusting winds.

Second, Qi should gather rather than disperse. Qi requires boundaries to arrest it and space in which to accumulate. In natural environments, the encircling embrace of mountain ranges provides protective boundaries, the winding of watercourses provides conditions for arrest, and the open ground before the Acupoint (auspicious site) — the Bright hall — provides the space in which Qi may gather. In the urban environment, the enclosure formed by groups of buildings, the circling of roads, and the openness of plazas and green spaces all perform analogous functions.

These two criteria appear simple, yet they are the point of departure for all exterior configuration assessment. When visiting a prospective dwelling, readers might first stand at the candidate site and sense the quality of the wind — is it gentle and comfortable, or unrelentingly fierce? Then survey the spatial configuration of the surroundings — does it offer a sense of enclosure and convergence, or does it feel exposed and dispersed, with nothing to rely upon? Such immediate, embodied impressions are often the most reliable preliminary judgment of the Feng Shui quality of the exterior configuration.

III. Urban Dragon Veins: Tracing the Qi Arteries of the Macro-Environment

Chapter Four provided a systematic exposition of the Form School's Dragon vein theory — the dragon is the mountain range, Qi travels with the dragon, and the course of the Dragon vein determines the fundamental configuration of a region's vital fortune. Does this theory remain applicable, then, in the modern city — where towering buildings have replaced the hills and mountain ranges have been obscured?

The answer is affirmative, with the crucial insight being "grasp the principle, and apply it flexibly to corresponding forms" — precisely the approach to modern adaptation proposed at the close of Chapter Four. The essential nature of the Dragon vein is as a channel through which Qi moves; any linear geographic feature capable of guiding the flow of Qi may be regarded as a "dragon" within the urban setting.

The undulation of terrain constitutes the most fundamental Dragon vein. Even in highly urbanized areas, the natural rise and fall of the earth itself has not disappeared. A city is frequently built in the embrace of mountains and flourishes along watercourses; the topographic profile of the land on which the city stands — in which direction the terrain ascends, in which it descends, where ridges and hillocks rise, where basins and lowlands lie — provides the most original and reliable basis for assessing the urban Dragon vein. In general, the direction in which terrain descends from high to low indicates the direction of the Dragon vein's advance: Qi originates at higher elevations, meanders forward along the undulations of the terrain, and comes to rest and gathers at low, flat, and open ground. A dwelling situated along the path of the Dragon vein, at a point where its momentum is gradually subsiding and Qi is on the verge of gathering, occupies a superior position at the macro-environmental scale.

Major thoroughfares constitute the most dynamic Qi artery channels in the city. As Chapter Four already noted, roads in the urban context may be regarded as an extension of Water — what might be called "virtual water" — since the ceaseless movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic along roads generates powerful Qi dynamics. The city's major arteries are like great rivers and lakes; subsidiary roads and lanes are like streams and rivulets; Qi is distributed throughout the city along these channels. Observing the orientation of a city's or district's major thoroughfares is thus equivalent to tracing the path of the urban Dragon vein. A dwelling is best situated at the terminus of a "branch vein" leading off a major artery — positioned to draw upon the vigorous Qi of the principal vein while not directly bearing the brunt of the overly intense Qi flow along the main thoroughfare. If a dwelling directly faces an urban expressway or motorway, then although the "Dragon vein" is right before it, the Qi flow is too violent and instead becomes Sha qi (negative energy) — precisely as explained by the principle of road-rush Sha in Chapter Eight.

Continuous clusters of high-rise buildings form the "mountain ridgeline" of the city. A row of high-rise buildings arrayed along a major thoroughfare or ridgeline presents a continuous skyline profile that resembles the undulating silhouette of a mountain range. The orientation of these building clusters may likewise be regarded as a manifestation of the urban Dragon vein — blocking winds, directing Qi flows, and defining spatial boundaries, their function corresponding to that of natural mountain ranges.

When conducting macro-level site selection, readers need not confine themselves to a rigorous "identification and tracing of the dragon and its veins." Rather, they should cultivate an awareness of the overall topographic character of their environment: gaining an understanding of the major landform profiles of the city in which they live, the network of principal thoroughfares, and the distribution of building clusters, and on this basis judging the position occupied by a given district or location within the urban Qi artery configuration — whether it is a zone of vigorous Qi or a terminus of weakened Qi, a place of Qi convergence or of Qi dispersal.

IV. The Four Celestial Animals Configuration: Assessing the Enclosure Quality of the Intermediate Environment

If Dragon vein analysis focuses on the macro-level orientation of Qi arteries across the city, then examination of the Four Celestial Animals configuration concentrates on the enclosure quality of the intermediate-scale environment surrounding the dwelling.

Chapter Four provided a detailed explanation of the ideal encircling configuration formed by the four Sand (surrounding landforms) of the Celestial Animals — the Azure Dragon on the left, the White Tiger on the right, the Vermilion Bird in front, and the Black Tortoise at the rear — whose form resembles a grand throne with a high back, armrests on both sides, and an open, spreading prospect in front. The application of this ideal model to the urban environment proceeds as follows:

The rear should have a backing — the Black Tortoise direction. The rear of the dwelling (or the building in which it is located) should have a building, hill, or elevated terrain that is higher than the dwelling itself, serving as a "backing mountain." This backing provides two functions: physically, it shields the dwelling from cold winds coming from the rear (in most regions of China, winter cold winds predominantly arrive from the north); in terms of the Qi field, it provides residents with a psychological foundation of stability and security. A rear that is open and exposed, or worse, a precipice or steep slope, is referred to in Feng Shui as "absence of the Black Tortoise"; residents of such dwellings tend to feel unsettled, with careers lacking in solid support and benefactors. When selecting a dwelling, if the rear of the building is sheltered by a structure of equal or slightly greater height serving as a screen, with an appropriate spacing — neither so close as to create a sense of oppression, nor so distant as to forfeit its sheltering effect — this constitutes a sound Black Tortoise configuration.

The left should be slightly higher — the Azure Dragon direction. Facing the front of the dwelling, the left-hand side constitutes the Azure Dragon direction. Traditional Feng Shui holds that the Azure Dragon direction should be slightly higher than the White Tiger direction, in accordance with the principle of "the dragon strong and the tiger subdued." In the urban context, buildings that are slightly taller or larger, a more prosperous neighborhood, or dense trees on the left constitute an advantaged Azure Dragon.

The right should be slightly lower — the White Tiger direction. The right-hand side is the White Tiger direction, which should ideally have slightly lower terrain or shorter buildings than the Azure Dragon direction, embodying the image of the White Tiger in submission. Traditional Feng Shui holds the saying "Better the Azure Dragon rise ten thousand feet than the White Tiger raise its head and stare" — though the expression is hyperbolic, its essential meaning is that the White Tiger direction should not be overly dominant. If buildings on the right greatly exceed those on the left in height, a configuration of "White Tiger suppressing the Azure Dragon" is formed, which Feng Shui considers conducive to disputes, gossip, and the interference of petty people. Of course, in the modern city the heights of surrounding buildings are often beyond one's control; if the White Tiger direction is indeed somewhat taller, as long as the disparity is not extreme and the shapes are not acute and directly assailing the dwelling, there is no need for excessive concern.

The front should be open — the Vermilion Bird direction. Directly in front of the dwelling is the Vermilion Bird direction, which is also the location of the Bright hall. The Bright hall should be open, level, and bright — a plaza, garden, water feature, or generous spacing between buildings before the dwelling, affording a clear and expansive view, constitutes a favorable Bright hall configuration. The quality of the Bright hall in Feng Shui is considered to bear upon the future prospects and the breadth of opportunity available to residents — a spacious Bright hall opens the mind and enriches opportunity, while a confined Bright hall restricts career development and limits growth. If the front of the dwelling is in close proximity to another building with virtually no gap between them, not only will light and ventilation be impeded, but the Qi field will also be subjected to the unfavorable configuration of "a Bright hall under oppression."

Taking all four directions together, when examining the intermediate-scale environment of a prospective dwelling, readers may stand within the residential compound at the position of the building, face the front of the dwelling, and systematically assess the buildings, terrain, vegetation, and spatial conditions in each of the four directions, judging whether the basic requirements of the Four Celestial Animals configuration — support at the rear, openness at the front, and protection on the left and right — are substantially met. A perfect Four Celestial Animals configuration is admittedly rare in urban settings, but so long as the general enclosing configuration is essentially present and no single direction is severely lacking or jarringly anomalous, the exterior configuration may be regarded as broadly satisfactory.

V. Surrounding Factors: Assessment of Auspiciousness and Inauspiciousness in Specific Environmental Elements

Within the framework of the macro-level Dragon vein and intermediate-level Four Celestial Animals configuration, the various specific environmental elements in the vicinity of the dwelling also require individual examination. These elements are numerous and varied; the most common categories are discussed below in turn.

(I) The Form and Orientation of Roads

The preceding chapter discussed unfavorable road configurations — road-rush Sha, reverse-bow roads, scissors roads, and others — from the perspective of Sha qi (negative energy). From the positive perspective, what kind of road configuration is favorable?

Encircling is auspicious. If a dwelling is located on the inner concave side of a curved road — with the road curving around the dwelling like a sash — this constitutes an excellent Water configuration. Qi flows along the road and naturally gathers on the inner side of the arc, forming the auspicious configuration of "a jade belt encircling the waist."

Curving and winding is auspicious. The road immediately before a dwelling's entrance should be gently curved rather than straight and overlong. Curves slow the flow of Qi; slowed Qi gathers and accumulates. In the urban context, meandering pedestrian paths and landscaped walkways within a residential compound are more conducive to creating an environment of Storing wind and gathering Qi than straight, through-running vehicular routes.

Appropriate width. Roads before the entrance should be neither too wide nor too narrow. If too wide, the Qi field disperses and is difficult to contain, and the high volume of traffic brings noise and disturbance; if too narrow, Qi flow is obstructed and the Bright hall is constrained.

The above represent the basic judgments at the level of Form. If a more precise determination of the specific auspicious or inauspicious influence of roads upon the dwelling is required, one may use the Luopan (feng shui compass) to measure the sitting and Facing direction of the dwelling, then consult the annual flying stars or the dwelling-fate auspicious and inauspicious directions to assess whether the road's location coincides with the currently prosperous or declining direction, thereby arriving at a more refined judgment.

(II) The Relationship with Bodies of Water

The ancient Feng Shui maxim holds that "mountains govern human vitality and Water governs wealth"; the configuration of Water is intimately connected with financial fortune. In the urban context, both natural bodies of Water (rivers, lakes) and artificial water features (fountains, pools, artificial lakes) are significant Feng Shui elements.

Water is auspicious in front or to the side. A calm body of water in front of the dwelling — such as a lake or river bend — constitutes an excellent Bright hall configuration: the view is open and expansive, and the vaporous vitality of the water is full of living energy. Water flowing gently past the side of the dwelling is also favorable.

Water should be clear rather than turbid, tranquil rather than turbulent. Clear, flowing living water is of the highest quality, nourishing vital energy; murky, stagnant water accumulates foul Qi and becomes a negative factor. If the water body adjacent to the dwelling is of poor quality and emits unpleasant odors, it constitutes "odor Sha" as described in Chapter Eight, proving harmful rather than beneficial.

The direction of water flow is of consequence. Traditional Feng Shui theory holds that water should "come from afar and depart briefly" — that is, water winding from a distance and gathering and lingering before the dwelling before flowing gently away: long incoming water symbolizes an inexhaustible source of wealth, while briefly departing water symbolizes the retention of financial Qi. If water flows away rapidly and directly without any pause, there is the risk of wealth arriving and departing with equal speed, leaving nothing to accumulate.

Similarly, the directional auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of a water body may be further verified through the use of Compass School tools — using the Luopan (feng shui compass) to determine the precise direction of the water body relative to the dwelling, and consulting the Xuan Kong flying stars or the Eight Mansions method to assess whether that direction is currently prospering. Water in a prosperous direction powerfully activates wealth; water in a declining direction may not be entirely beneficial and requires comprehensive evaluation.

(III) The Height and Form of Adjacent Buildings

The height, form, and distance of surrounding buildings directly affect the quality of light, ventilation, and Qi field of the dwelling.

Lower in front and higher at the rear is preferable. Buildings in front of the dwelling should be lower than those to the rear, forming a graded descent from rear to front — consistent with the principle in the Four Celestial Animals configuration that "the Black Tortoise should be high and the Vermilion Bird should be low." If a building far taller than the dwelling itself stands before it, bearing down like Mount Tai, completely blocking the Bright hall, with insufficient light and a stagnant Qi field, this constitutes an unfavorable configuration.

Regular and upright forms are preferable. Surrounding buildings should ideally be square and well-proportioned, which is auspicious. Buildings of bizarre or irregular form — excessively sharp and pointed, severely skewed, or featuring large expanses of glass curtain wall that generate light Sha — may all disrupt the Qi field of adjacent dwellings. Chapter Eight has already described in detail the methods for identifying form-based Sha such as sharp-angle Sha and light Sha; these need not be elaborated here.

Appropriate spacing between buildings is preferable. When the spacing between buildings is too small, Qi flow is impeded, light is blocked, privacy is compromised, and residents feel considerably oppressed; when the spacing is too great, the enclosing effect is insufficient and Qi disperses without gathering. Generally speaking, a spacing between buildings equal to one to one and a half times the height of the building in front is a reasonably ideal proportion.

(IV) The Influence of Public Facilities

The public facilities in the vicinity of a dwelling are of many types, and their Feng Shui influence must be assessed comprehensively in light of specific factors including distance, scale, noise level, volume of foot traffic, and operational hours; no blanket judgment can be made. The categories below serve only as a general reference framework. In actual assessment, consideration should also be given to the specific direction in which each facility is located; where necessary, the Luopan (feng shui compass) should be used to verify the Facing direction and the auspicious and inauspicious directions for the current year.

Generally favorable facilities include schools, libraries, parks, and sports venues. The Qi field of such places is clear and upright; they are places of vigorous human activity and positive energy, and they typically exert a beneficial influence on the Qi field of neighboring dwellings. Parks and green spaces in particular — with their lush vegetation and fresh air — are rare concentrations of "vital energy" in the urban environment. It should be noted, however, that a large sports venue in close proximity to a dwelling may generate sound Sha from the intense noise and dense crowds during events; the traffic congestion at the beginning and end of the school day near a school also merits consideration. Even facilities that are generally favorable are therefore best situated at an appropriate distance, so that one may benefit from their Qi without being disturbed by their activity.

Neutral facilities include ordinary commercial districts, supermarkets, and restaurant streets. These bring convenience and human vitality to daily life, but an excessively noisy commercial environment in close proximity to a dwelling may generate sound Sha; judgment must depend on specific distances and scales.

Generally unfavorable facilities include hospital morgues, funeral parlors, waste processing plants, high-voltage substations, petrol stations, and slaughterhouses. Such facilities either carry an excess of Yin energy, or are permeated with foul Qi, or pose safety hazards, or generate intense electromagnetic interference — all of which have a markedly negative impact on the Qi field quality of neighboring dwellings. Temples, churches, police stations, and fire stations possess Qi fields that are distinctive and intense; traditional opinion holds that living in close proximity to these is not advisable, though the degree of influence depends on the distance and scale involved — if a sufficient distance is maintained, and the facility does not lie in the principal Qi-receiving direction of the dwelling, there is generally no cause for concern.

In sum, judgments about the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of surrounding facilities should not be made in a simplistic or absolute manner. The same type of facility under different conditions of distance, direction, and scale may exert entirely different effects upon a dwelling. Readers should adhere to the principle of comprehensive evaluation — neither treating every element as a potential threat, nor dismissing concerns too readily.

VI. Practical Considerations for the Modern Property Buyer

Having discussed the traditional Feng Shui principles of site selection and exterior configuration assessment above, we now translate these principles into practical guidance for several issues of most pressing concern to modern property buyers.

(I) Selection of Floor Level

The height of one's floor level involves two Feng Shui considerations. The first concerns the absorption of Earth Qi — traditional theory holds that lower floors are closer to the earth and more readily absorb the vital energy arising from the ground, with a stable and grounded foundation; higher floors are more remote from the ground, with diminishing Earth Qi and greater exposure to wind. In the modern city, however, lower floors frequently suffer from insufficient light, obstructed views, and greater noise — all of which are factors unfavorable to Storing wind and gathering Qi. A balance must therefore be struck: it is generally advisable to select a floor in the upper-middle range, one that affords good light, ventilation, and views, without being so high as to be "suspended in isolation, exposed to wind on all sides." The second consideration involves the correspondence of Five Elements (Wu Xing) attributes with floor numbers — one traditional approach assigns Five Elements correlations to floor numbers (one and six correspond to Water, two and seven to Fire, three and eight to Wood, four and nine to Metal, five and ten to Earth), and recommends selecting the floor whose Five Elements correspondence is mutually generative with or harmonious to the resident's birth-chart Five Elements. This method may serve as a supplementary reference but should not be treated as the sole criterion.

(II) The Facing Direction of the Unit

The selection of Facing direction is the central element of exterior configuration assessment. In most regions of China, a dwelling that sits to the north and faces south is regarded as the optimal orientation — in winter it receives ample sunlight from the south for warmth, while in summer it welcomes cool southerly breezes for ventilation — this itself represents the ideal practical expression of the principle of Storing wind and gathering Qi under climatic conditions. Of course, "sitting north and facing south" is a general formulation; at the level of the precise degree within the twenty-four mountains of the Luopan (feng shui compass), different sitting and facing configurations produce different distributions of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness in the analysis of the Compass School. The relevant content on the Eight Mansions method and the Xuan Kong flying stars method in Chapter Five may serve as tools for more detailed analysis.

One further point deserves attention: the Facing direction of a unit is not equivalent to the direction of its entrance door. In modern high-rise apartments, the principal light-receiving surface (typically the direction faced by the living room balcony) represents the primary Qi-receiving direction of the dwelling; the entrance door, on the other hand, is the channel through which people pass and Qi enters. The relationship between the two must be considered comprehensively; neither should be neglected at the expense of the other.

(III) The Overall Layout of the Residential Compound

Before assessing a specific building and unit, it is also essential to form an overall judgment of the planning configuration of the entire compound.

The compound as a whole should be square and regular in form; oddly shaped or severely irregular configurations with missing corners are unfavorable. The main entrance of the compound serves as the equivalent of the "main gate" for the entire community — its position and Facing direction influence the Qi-receiving quality of the compound as a whole. Internal roads within the compound should meander and wind rather than running long and straight — curving paths allow Qi to slow its movement and come to rest. Central gardens, water features, and other communal landscape elements, if well designed, can serve as the "interior Bright hall" of the entire compound, playing a central role in gathering and nurturing Qi. A compound with a high ratio of greenery and lush vegetation is full of vital energy and fresh air, representing an excellent Feng Shui asset.

VII. Comprehensive Assessment: Establishing a Systematic Property Inspection Process

Integrating the multi-level assessment methods described in this chapter, readers may establish a systematic property inspection process that proceeds from the macro to the micro, from the exterior inward. This process is set out below in four steps, accompanied by a practical inspection checklist for readers to work through when conducting an actual property search, evaluating each item in turn and forming a comprehensive judgment.

Step One: The Macro Configuration of the City and District

Begin at the largest scale by examining the macro-level Qi artery configuration of the city and district in which the candidate dwelling is located.

• Understand the major topographic profile of the city and assess the position occupied by the district within the urban Dragon vein configuration — whether it is a zone of vigorous Qi on the verge of convergence, or a terminus of weakened and dispersed Qi.
• Observe the relationship between the district and the city's major thoroughfare network — whether it is situated at the terminus of a branch vein off the principal artery, positioned to draw upon vigorous Qi without being directly assailed.
• Note the overall terrain of the district — whether there is a hill or elevated ground at the rear providing support, and whether there is open, low-lying ground or a body of water at the front serving as a Bright hall.

Step Two: The Four Celestial Animals Configuration and Bright Hall of the Compound

Proceeding to the compound level, conduct an intermediate-scale assessment using the Four Celestial Animals configuration as the framework.

• Facing the principal orientation of the compound, examine whether the rear (Black Tortoise) provides a backing — whether there is a building or elevated terrain higher than the compound itself serving as a barrier.
• Assess whether the left (Azure Dragon) is slightly higher or stronger than the right (White Tiger), and whether the left and right together form a basic encircling and protective configuration.
• Assess whether the front (Vermilion Bird) is open — whether there is a plaza, garden, or water feature forming a Bright hall, and whether the spacing between buildings is generous.
• Assess whether the overall form of the compound is regular and upright, whether the internal roads meander appropriately, and whether the central landscaping serves a Qi-gathering function.

Step Three: Building Position, Roads, Water Bodies, and Surrounding Facilities

Focus on the specific building and examine the surrounding environmental elements one by one.

• Assess whether the building's position within the compound is advantageous — whether it occupies a favorable zone within the Four Celestial Animals configuration, rather than being situated at the compound's periphery directly exposed to exterior Sha qi (negative energy).
• Assess the form of surrounding roads — do they encircle the dwelling favorably, or do they constitute a straight rush or reverse-bow configuration? Is the width of the road before the entrance appropriate?
• Assess the condition of nearby water bodies — is the water quality clear? Is the flow gentle? Is the water located in front or to the side rather than at the rear?
• Assess surrounding public facilities — are there any clearly unfavorable facilities in close proximity? Do favorable facilities maintain an appropriate distance? Are the noise and foot traffic from neutral facilities manageable?

Step Four: Comprehensive Assessment of Floor Level, Facing Direction, and Unit Layout

Finally, focus on the specific selection of floor level and unit.

• Assess whether the floor level appropriately balances access to light and ventilation with the absorption of Earth Qi, avoiding the extremes of being too low (insufficient light, high noise) or too high (isolated and exposed to wind).
• Assess whether the Facing direction of the principal light-receiving surface is favorable, and whether the sitting and facing configuration is auspicious in Compass School analysis.
• Assess whether the direction of the entrance door is coordinated with the principal light-receiving surface.
• Assess whether the unit layout itself is regular and upright, with no severe missing corners or interior Sha qi — this aspect may be assessed with reference to the interior configuration evaluation methods presented in the preceding three chapters.

Property Inspection Checklist

For ease of practical use, the above process is summarized below as a concise checklist, divided into two parts: "Immediate Disqualifiers" and "Comprehensive Scoring Criteria."

Immediate Disqualifiers (the following conditions are grounds for immediate disqualification):

1. The dwelling directly faces a road rush, expressway, or elevated road that strikes directly and cannot be effectively shielded.
2. The dwelling is in close proximity to severely unfavorable facilities such as a funeral parlor, waste processing plant, high-voltage substation, or slaughterhouse.
3. The dwelling has no backing whatsoever at the rear and no Bright hall at the front, standing in complete isolation with nothing to depend upon on any side.
4. A river channel of severely degraded water quality or a pollution source emitting noxious odors is in close proximity to the dwelling.
5. The dwelling is situated in the narrow gap between two high-rise buildings, forming a severe "Heaven-Cleaving Sha" that cannot be remediated.

Comprehensive Scoring Criteria (assess each item and select on the basis of relative merit):

| Assessment Dimension | Excellent | Acceptable | Deficient | |---|---|---|---| | District Terrain and Qi Arteries | Terrain has relief and support; Qi arteries are vigorous | Terrain is flat but not exposed | Terrain is low-lying with standing water, or excessively exposed | | Black Tortoise (Rear Backing) | A building or hill of appropriate height at the rear | A building of equal height at the rear | Open and unsupported at the rear | | Azure Dragon and White Tiger (Left and Right Protection) | Left slightly higher, right slightly lower | Left and right roughly equal in height | — |