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By Janet Chang

Daily Bruin Contributor

Former President Lyndon Johnson may have turned to an ancient Chinese tradition to end the Vietnam War, said Associate Professor Hung-Hsiang Chou, who teaches in the East Asian Studies and Culture department.

“He invited a Feng Shui expert to look at the surroundings of the White House,” Chou said. “There were two cannons by the main gates of the white house and the experts suggested they remove it because cannons mean war.”

Feng Shui, according to Chou, means mountain and water. The ancient Chinese initially developed Feng Shui to help them plan and build dwellings and cities in harmony with the surrounding environment. It involves using geomancy, where the topography of local landscape determines where buildings and houses are built.

Although Chou said the cannons are no longer at the White House, he does not know whether removing them contributed to the peace.

Today, Feng Shui is a popular trend in arranging homes.

“We have a specific section that is devoted purely to the Asian themes even though Pottery Barn isn’t ethnic-specific,” said Lyndsey Gayer, a fourth-year theater student who works part-time at the Pottery Barn furniture store.

“These days most furniture stores carry books on Feng Shui,” she continued. “Most of our furniture collection and decorative accessories have an Asian motif to them.”

People using Feng Shui avoid building houses with an electric pole or tree located outside the main window, which will bring misfortune, Chui said.

“The only way to stop the bad luck would be to put a mirror facing the window ,” he said. “Then it will reflect the bad luck back out.”

To comply with the Feng Shui philosophy, people should avoid placing a bed where a person’s feet would face the main door. Otherwise, good luck may rush out of the house.

“Feng Shui is also good for business,” Chou said. “If you’re not very good at business, you should have a fish tank full of tropical fish.”

In Cantonese. the word for fish sounds the same as the one for profit, which may bring fortune. In addition, Chou said just watching the fish swim freely will relax a person, which will help him make wiser decisions.

Unlike today’s use of Feng Shui for interior decoration, the ancient Chinese also used Feng Shui at grave sites as well as in the homes of the living.

Chou said the Chinese would bury their dead between a water source and the mountains, the idea being that water brings good luck while the mountains will prevent it from escaping.

At UCLA, some students attempt to practice Feng Shui, but find it doesn’t always work with college living situations.

“The space is so small that the only way we can configure the room is to be practical rather than use Feng Shui,” said Nihar Patel, a fourth-year undeclared student.

He said his roommate attempted to create Feng Shui in their apartment but failed to complete it because arranging their home according to Feng Shui remained a low priority.

“The problem is that we are hardly ever at home,” Patel said. “The lease is only for a year, so it doesn’t make sense for us to invest in Feng Shui.

Other students enjoy the spirituality and simplicity of Feng Shui. Stacey Canon, a 1996 alumni who now works for the UCLA Alumni Association uses the practice in her home.

“I think it works for those who believe in it,” she said. “If you go to the basic principles of it, that’s what’s attractive,” said

Because of the growing popularity of Feng Shui as well as other Eastern traditions, some Asian studies experts believe that the culture is being commercialized, Chou said.

“All the stores are trying to target the everyday average man,” Gayer said. “But with the exotic becoming the mainstream, it makes sense that stores carry exotic items that are now part of the mainstream American culture.”

But some people look beyond the commercialization of tradition and view Feng Shui simply as becoming part of an evolving American culture. Diane Park, a third-year political science student, said Americans can learn about other cultures because of commercialization.

“Take, for example, yoga as an exercise trend. Everyone made fun of it in the beginning, but now that it is part of mainstream culture, everyone is more accepting of it,” Park said.

“But if it wasn’t part of the mainstream culture as a result of commercialization, it would be thought of as weird and different,” she continued.

Canon said the widespread use of Feng Shui doesn’t affect its historical value.

“It may be commercialized but the essence of Feng Shui still holds true,” Canon said. “It is about your personal space and making something work. Just because something is trendy, it doesn’t mean that its essence loses its validity.”

And Americans are not the only ones following the trend.

“It’s still very popular in China, particularly in Taiwan,” Chou said. “It’s really big in Paris.”

Whether it’s a superstition or a science, Canon said practicing Feng Shui offers students a different way to deal with life’s challenges.

“I think people are turning towards alternative methods in their lives to find answers spiritually,” she said. “And Feng Shui is one way to have control over things to bring positive influences into their lives. It can work for everyone as long as they want it.”