Fung shui.
—Devastating Eggs.—Demon Possession.—Sacred Trees.—Heavenly Silk.—Ladder of Swords.—Preserving only Children.—God of Literature on Ghosts.—God of War.—Reverence for Ancestors
Fung shui.—Devastating Eggs.—Demon Possession.—Sacred Trees.—Heavenly Silk.—Ladder of Swords.—Preserving only Children.—God of Literature on Ghosts.—God of War.—Reverence for Ancestors.
Directly that, leaving behind steamers, railways, and Sundays, you step ashore at Ichang, a thousand miles up the river Yangtse, you find yourself in the land of superstition. Right opposite to Ichang, facing it from across the river, stands a pyramidal mountain six hundred feet high, in all its proportions resembling the Pyramid of Cheops. The people of Ichang say it menaces them, and, according to their belief in Fung shui, or climatic influences (literally, wind and water), prevents their young men from passing their examinations, and makes all their wealth pass into the pockets of strangers. Just before I first arrived there in 1887, they had all taxed themselves, and built a many-storied temple on the top of the very highest hill behind the city, in order to keep the baleful pyramid in check; and the subject of conversation amongst the peasants at that period, when not discussing the price of something or their last bargain, was always whether 212that temple had been built on quite the right spot. "I always said it ought to be on that other knoll, and turned a little more aslant," one would say. However, though they have not yet grown rich, probably to be accounted for by some error of the kind, two of their young men the very next year after the building of this temple took their second degree—an event which 213had not gladdened the neighbourhood for hundreds of years.
風水、毀滅性的雞蛋、附身、神聖的樹木、天絲、劍梯、保護獨子、文神與鬼魂、武神、祖先崇拜
當你離開蒸汽船、鐵路和星期天，踏上長江上一千英里遠的宜昌的土地時，你就來到了迷信的國度。正對著宜昌，橫跨長江，有一座六百英尺高的金字塔形山，從各方面看都像吉薩金字塔。宜昌的人們說這座山對他們構成威脅，根據他們對風水（字面意思是風和水，即氣候影響）的信仰，這座山阻止了他們的年輕人通過考試，並使他們的財富全部流入外地人的口袋。在我第一次於1887年抵達那裡之前不久，他們全體徵稅，在城後的最高山頂上建了一座多層的廟宇，以對抗這個邪惡的金字塔。在那段時間，當農民們不在討論某物的價格或他們最後的交易時，談論的話題總是圍繞這座廟是否建在了正確的位置。“我一直認為它應該建在另一個小山丘上，並且稍微轉個角度，”其中一個人說。然而，儘管他們還沒有變得富有，可能是由於某些這樣的錯誤，但在這座廟建成後的第二年，他們的兩個年輕人通過了第二級考試——這是幾百年來這個地區沒有過的喜事。
你一踏上宜昌的土地，便會發現這裡充滿了迷信。正對著宜昌的江對岸，有一座六百英尺高的金字塔形山，從各個方面看都像埃及的吉薩金字塔。宜昌的人們認為這座山對他們造成了威脅，根據他們對風水的信仰，這座山阻礙了他們年輕人通過考試，並使他們的財富流入外地人的口袋。在我1887年第一次抵達那裡之前不久，他們全體徵稅，在城市後方的最高山頂上建了一座多層廟宇，以對抗這座邪惡的金字塔。在那段時間，農民們除了討論商品價格或最後的交易之外，話題總是圍繞著這座廟是否建在了正確的位置。“我一直認為它應該建在另一個小山丘上，並且稍微轉個角度，”一個人說。然而，儘管他們還沒有變得富有，這可能是由於某些錯誤，但在這座廟建成後的第二年，他們的兩個年輕人通過了第二級考試——這是幾百年來這個地區未曾見過的喜事。
ICHANG FROM THE CITY WALL, HALL OF LITERATURE, AND PYRAMID HILL. By Mrs. Archibald Little.
It is very easy for us to laugh at Fung shui; but it often strikes me that far more foolish than the Chinese belief is the absolute disregard of climatic influences shown in England. When the huge block of Queen Anne Mansions was building, I recollect applying for south rooms; and noticing the late Mr. Hankey's expression as he jotted down a memorandum, I asked him what he had been writing. "Oh, only about five or six people have applied for south rooms," he said. "So I put you down as one of the eccentric lot. You'll find them hot, you know, in the season." I ventured to remark that the sun went northwards in summer; but Mr. Hankey was incredulous. Applying to a house agent in London for a small house with a south aspect, he said he really could not tell me of any off-hand, as he had never been asked for such a thing before, and had no notion how the houses on his list faced. But, stranger than this, when house-hunting with friends in the lovely Caterham district some years ago, we found that whenever we drove up to a house in high hopes, seeing it was situated on such an eminence as to command a really lovely view, we invariably found the house turned its back on the view, which often could not be seen from any of the windows. Although the Chinese in the course of centuries have made Fung shui into a superstition, surely their consideration of aspects, soils, water, etc., is wiser than our disregard of all such potent influences of nature? 214It is, however, always easier to laugh than to learn; and I see that I noted at the time:
我們很容易嘲笑風水，但常常讓我感到更加愚蠢的是英國人對氣候影響的完全忽視。我記得在建造安妮女王大廈的巨大樓塊時，我曾申請過朝南的房間；注意到已故的漢基先生記下筆記時的表情，我問他寫了什麼。他說：“哦，只有五六個人申請了朝南的房間，所以我把你列為其中的一個怪人。你知道，在這個季節，你會發現它們很熱。”我冒昧地提到，夏天太陽會向北移動，但漢基先生是不相信的。當我向倫敦的一位房屋代理商申請一座朝南的小房子時，他說他真的無法馬上告訴我，因為以前從未有人這樣要求過，他也不知道他名單上的房子朝向如何。但更奇怪的是，幾年前和朋友一起在美麗的卡特勒姆地區尋找房子時，我們發現每當我們滿懷希望地駕車到達一所房子，看到它位於一個能夠欣賞美麗景色的高地時，我們總是發現房子背對著景色，從任何窗戶都看不到這些景色。雖然中國人在幾個世紀的過程中把風水變成了一種迷信，但他們對朝向、土壤、水等的考慮是否比我們對所有這些自然力量的忽視更明智呢？然而，嘲笑總比學習容易；我注意到當時我寫道：
"我們很容易嘲笑風水，但常常讓我感到更加愚蠢的是英國人對氣候影響的完全忽視。我記得在建造安妮女王大廈的巨大樓塊時，我曾申請過朝南的房間；注意到已故的漢基先生記下筆記時的表情，我問他寫了什麼。他說：“哦，只有五六個人申請了朝南的房間，所以我把你列為其中的一個怪人。你知道，在這個季節，你會發現它們很熱。”我冒昧地提到，夏天太陽會向北移動，但漢基先生是不相信的。當我向倫敦的一位房屋代理商申請一座朝南的小房子時，他說他真的無法馬上告訴我，因為以前從未有人這樣要求過，他也不知道他名單上的房子朝向如何。但更奇怪的是，幾年前和朋友一起在美麗的卡特勒姆地區尋找房子時，我們發現每當我們滿懷希望地駕車到達一所房子，看到它位於一個能夠欣賞美麗景色的高地時，我們總是發現房子背對著景色，從任何窗戶都看不到這些景色。雖然中國人在幾個世紀的過程中把風水變成了一種迷信，但他們對朝向、土壤、水等的考慮是否比我們對所有這些自然力量的忽視更明智呢？然而，嘲笑總比學習容易；我注意到當時我寫道："
"The other day, such a tumult here! It turned out that some of the neighbours disapproved of the gable-end just added to the servants' quarters of our new house. A number of old women insisted on dragging my husband into their houses to see. 'Look!' they said, 'your new gable points! and points straight at our shrine. It will ruin us.' Greatly amused, he straightway said, 'It shall be curled in another direction as soon as possible.' The old women were at once propitiated and delighted. But so far it has not yet been curled, and they seem to have forgotten all about it."
In other countries besides China an assurance that a thing is to be done quite satisfies people.