Feng shui in everyday Hong Kong

Feng shui — a traditional practice concerned with how buildings and objects are oriented relative to natural energy flows — is more than folklore in Hong Kong; it visibly shapes real decisions in architecture, business and daily life.

In architecture

Several of Hong Kong's most famous buildings incorporate feng shui considerations directly — the HSBC headquarters was reportedly designed with feng shui input on its orientation and the placement of its two bronze lion statues, and a number of skyscrapers include deliberate gaps or angled features said to let energy (and, practically, dragons believed to travel from the hills to the harbour) pass through.

In business

Consulting a feng shui practitioner before opening a business, signing a lease, or setting an important date remains common practice for many Hong Kong businesses and families, spanning both older, more traditional companies and some surprisingly modern ones.

Numbers and dates

The number 8 (associated with prosperity, as it sounds similar to the word for "wealth" in Cantonese) is highly sought after in phone numbers, car plates and addresses, while 4 (which sounds like the word for "death") is often avoided — some buildings skip the 4th floor number entirely, similar to how some Western buildings skip a 13th floor.

Worth knowing as a visitor

You'll likely notice floor numbering quirks in hotels and office buildings, and it's a good, genuinely interesting thing to ask a local guide or friend about rather than something to actively seek out on its own.