White Clouds in Pimlico

It rained in London on St Swithin’s day and has predictably monsooned every day since. So a splattery Sunday seemed a fitting time to visit the Feng Shui master from the White Cloud Temple of Beijing.

And the tenuous weather links don’t end there. Feng Shui translates as ‘wind water’ in English, both elements being essential to our vital energy, or Chi.

Abbot Zhao Yuanfu was visiting Europe to give a lecture on the benefits of Daoist Feng Shui as part of his four-day teaching of UK Daoists at a summer school. Both followers of Lishi – the Daoist exercise system that harnesses Chi energy – and members of the public sat in a community hall in the back pocket of Pimlico among council estates and grand stucco terraces. Practitioners had come from across the country – representatives from Leeds, Sheffield and Edinburgh among the mainly young, nimble and very genial followers of Lishi.

Having been welcomed with a traditional Pu-er tea, the group of around 80 people listened intently to the animated master speaking through a translator. He talked of Daoist Feng Shui’s origins, how in ancient China 6000 years ago, people noticed the power of wind, both the damage and the good it could cause.

The wind’s effects were felt both externally at people’s homes and internally, within the body, namely as breath or energy. The beliefs evolved to a science and art today which holds regard to the positioning of people’s homes and the placing of furniture to optimise energy flows.

Abbot Zhao said he was particularly enamoured by Buckingham Palace, which he had passed on his way to the hall. The huge gates were a positive sign, he said, protected by a sacred bird and the foundations of the palace were strong, being built upon a metaphorical ancient turtle. Here I was itching to know more but sadly the translator sped on, anxious to accommodate the Abbot’s flow.

Both Abbot Zhao Yuanfu and Desmond Murray, president of the International Daoist Society and Grand Master of Lishi, continually stressed the complexity and vastness of the philosophy, far too gigantic to even tickle in this session. Unfortunately, such was their enthusiasm, there was no time for the promised Lishi demonstrations that I’d been looking forward to. But there are classes running across the country. No doubt another drizzly Sunday will find me pitching up to exercise in the full thrust of our splendid elements, white clouds and rain among them.

Abbot Zhao Yuanfu appeared at:

St Gabriel’s Halls
Glasgow Terrace
Churchill Gardens
Pimlico
SW1V 3AA

www.lishiarts.org