Feng Shui Leads the Way!

On February 2009 an accidental fire caused by Chinese New Year firecrackers consumed a brand new hotel building in the central business district of Beijing causing the death of one firefighter and many others injured. Over a year later the abandoned building stands strangely juxtaposed against the summer sun, which serves to reveal the skeletal remains of the burnt building that had never been used. While this building serves as a visual eyesore, it stands next to the popular China Central Television headquarters (CCTV), one of the tallest modern wonders of Beijing, which employs 10,000 people and allows China State Television to produce over 200 channels.

While the burnt building stands isolated and abandoned, it has caused quite the stir from the people in neighboring buildings. The culprit? Feng Shui - the ancient Chinese system of aesthetics under the laws of Heaven and Earth to improve one’s life by receiving positive “qi,” or energy. Apparently this burnt building stands as a billowing pillar of bad luck which has scared all of society from its presence. Due to Feng Shui, land developers refuse to build new buildings near the burnt building, while employees within nearby buildings have requested that their offices be physically moved to face another direction away from the burnt building. Since the burnt building is somehow connected to CCTV, the city has not yet demolished the building and is still deciding its fate. Until then, it will be a part of my daily sights to and from work!