Wang Qiheng

　　Fengshui Project for Venice Biennale

　　By Wang Qiheng

　　Chinese fengshui theory is based on the same principle as Chinese medicine: man and environment as one, the embodiment of the universe, the earth, and the human as a whole. Simultaneously, fengshui combines geography, meteorology, and, especially, the studies of landscape architecture and eco-architecture.

　　Fengshui of Venice

　　The Chinese believe that the world is composed of the Five Elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The Five Elements are also related to geographical directions. Venice is located in the east of Europe, which is also the orientation of wood. Wood, traditionally, represents civilization and culture, hence, it is appropriate that Venice is built on several billion wooden stakes; it is a city on wood.

　　The Grand Canal that runs through the city creates a Tai Chi image, the Taoist symbol, of the city. The east side of the Tai Chi collects Yang aura; the Yang symbolizes a repository that gathers life. The Grand Canal surrounds the three sides of the city, which can be interpreted as a golden thread that surrounds and embraces the city, a Chinese proverb describing a river or a canal streaming through a city, and in this case, pointing to the most prosperous and thriving area of Venice: San Marco Plaza.

　　The National Pavilions of the Venice Biennale

　　From the fengshui point of view, each of the pavilions has a lot of positive qualities and the scale of the whole area is very welcoming. Some pavilions, such as that of France, Germany, and Great Britain, have vestibules in the front, which can be interpreted as a friendly characteristic that creates an inviting space before entering the main pavilions.

　　The United States pavilion embodies superior qualities in fengshui. It is located at a point that is lower than other pavilions, where all the great wind and energy, or aura, gather. The two-wing pavilion hugs the front yard and in essence extends to the small park in front, making it open and inclusive. It is a small pavilion that does big things, a concept describing how a small entity has all the requirements to have unexpected impact.