Page "Feng shui" Paragraph 13

The astronomical history of feng shui is evident in the development of instruments and techniques.

According to the Zhouli the original feng shui instrument may have been a gnomon.

Chinese used circumpolar stars to determine the north-south axis of settlements.

This technique explains why Shang palaces at Xiaotun lie 10 ° east of due north.

In some cases, as Paul Wheatley observed, they bisected the angle between the directions of the rising and setting sun to find north.

This technique provided the more precise alignments of the Shang walls at Yanshi and Zhengzhou.

Rituals for using a feng shui instrument required a diviner to examine current sky phenomena to set the device and adjust their position in relation to the device.