Zhang Dongjie (www.chinavalue.net): Looking back at China's history, we may find that no matter how often imperial dynasties changed, the layout of capitals and towns, and the architectural design of gardens and civil residences share common themes of Feng Shui. Despite its superstitious baggage, Feng Shui should not be discarded. Doing so might mean the key to understanding the various ways structures have been laid out might be lost forever, leaving later generations perplexed, like the situation with the meaning of the pyramids in Egypt. As people are willing to protect ancient structures, why not preserve the essence and elements of design ideas at the same time?

A number of ancient building complexes built following the principles of Feng Shui have been successfully listed as world heritage sites and widely recognized, meaning we are daily reminded of the effectiveness of Feng Shui. There are countless examples of ancient towns and residential dwellings nationwide that prove the universal existence of Feng Shui principles in China. The issue is how to promote the positive aspects of Feng Shui and avoid the harmful elements, in order to utilize it better for the development of modern society.

Currently, an increasing number of landscaped cities, environment-friendly towns and ecological parks have been erected using Feng Shui, such as urban planning incorporating hills and rivers and well-balanced design of metropolitan transportation systems.

Xin De (www.cctv. com): In history, Feng Shui prevalence was frozen following the May 4th Movement when China was greatly influenced by the revolutionary trends brought by Western science and cultural progress. Feng Shui, along with many other traditional cultures, was seen a superstitious theory to be abandoned. As a result of intense criticism and long neglect, Feng Shui practitioners went underground and today's young generation has no idea of what Feng Shui really is.

In recent years, Feng Shui studies have been on the rise due to mounting interest in the field from abroad. Feng Shui practitioners first appeared in the United States in 1976. Today, the research and study of Feng Shui is very popular in foreign countries, as more and more Feng Shui programs open in the United States, EU member countries, Russia, Japan and South Korea. Among Japan's 2,000 high schools, more than 110 have opened Feng Shui courses. All this attention has once again stirred up debate about the roots of Feng Shui and the old argument about whether it is a superstition or a science has resurfaced.

Nowadays, an increasing number of Chinese academies are reconsidering the value of traditions, like the recent boom in the study of Confucius classics and the resurgence in interest surrounding Feng Shui fever. It indicates that China is once again beginning to respect its traditions.

Despite the negative superstitious aspects linked to Feng Shui, there is no denying it was an important part of the lives of Chinese ancestors, and involves scientific subjects such as chemistry, physics and mathematics.

We need to have an objective and comprehensive perspective when examining the value of Feng Shui to the Chinese nation.

Lao Shifu (www.weihainews. cn): China is an agricultural civilization with a long history. Over the past thousand years, Chinese people lived predominantly by farming and with the theory of Feng Shui, in which the natural environment plays a crucial role and is undoubtedly helpful in the continuity of social development.

Chinese people are standing by and watching as their heritage is being claimed by others, from South Korea's cultural heritage application for the dragon boat memorial ceremony, to Japan's ambitious bid for Feng Shui as an intangible heritage. Blinded by Western celebrations like Valentine's Day and Christmas Day, we are neglecting our traditional holidays like the Dragon Boat Festival and Double Seventh Festival, known as China's lovers' day. Only when these have been claimed by others, will the Chinese wake up and realize what these traditions mean to them.