Day 1 - Visiting Chiang Kai Shek
Last update: 21 August 2011 10:34AM (GMT+08:00)
Reported by Chan Chi Tim.

Finally. The inaugural Taiwan Feng Shui Excursion 2011 is finally here after a long wait. The participants, coming from all over the world, had gathered a day earlier in preparation for a new adventure to explore Taiwan and the various Feng Shui landforms found here with none other than Joey Yap.

It was rise and shine for all on the early Saturday morning of August 20. The participants were clearly eager to get started as they joined Joey for the morning briefing of what to expect on this Excursion and the Day One's agenda. He also gave some pointers for the participants on what they should look out for in terms of Landform Feng Shui, such as the Officer Star and the Ghost Mountain.

The first destination of the day to kick off this Excursion was an apt one, which many of the participants were excited to visit: Chiang Kai Shek's tomb. The entourage embarked to the urban township of Daxi in Taoyuan County, where the Cihu Mausoleum lies.

Cihu Mausoleum was built for Chiang Kai Shek, the first President of Taiwan after its independence, where he ruled the island nation for twenty-seven years. It was originally his favorite residence before it was converted into a mausoleum upon his death. Chiang Kai Shek died in 1975 and was entombed here, surrounded by various panoramic landforms like lakes and mountains.

Joey got the first lesson started by pointing out the Ghost Mountain and how this location can best receive Qi from the surrounding landforms. For the benefit of those new to a Feng Shui excursion, he showed them how to identify a Greedy Wolf Mountain and how this feature can be utilized to 'guard' a water mouth.

As this was the very first stop of the entire Excursion, the participants were obviously upbeat and anxious to absorb more interesting lessons from Joey. He fielded each and every question with ease, bringing much clarity to the participants' understanding.

From this excitement, Joey and the participants – along with several members of the Mastery Academy Team – proceeded to the next excitement everyone was anticipating for: a taste of Taiwanese cuisine! A sumptuous lunch was served and savored by all, as they enjoyed the perfect summer time weather, before they moved on to the next stop.

The entourage visited the tomb of Chiang Ching Kuo, the son of Chiang Kai Shek, next. He was also a former President of Taiwan, taking over his father's role and ruled for ten years. He brought much infrastructure development in Taiwan during his rule. He died in 1988 and was entombed at the Touliao Mausoleum not far from his father.

During his lifetime, Chiang Ching Kuo led a simple life but was unable to sustain the ruling power unlike his father. Not only that, four of his six sons died at middle age. Within fifteen minutes upon arriving at the site, the participants discovered why he lost his power and was unable to pass it on to his descendants. Joey was quick to explain which portion of the surrounding landform that did not supported his descendants in gaining political power and influence. As such, none of his descendants are currently active in holding any political power in Taiwan today. The last stop of Day One was the Tai Shan Public Cemetery, located in the rural district of Tai Shan on the west of New Taipei City. Joey briefed everyone that there will be opportunity to 'walk the dragons", the Feng Shui-speak for trekking through the mountains.

Most of the participants took the chance to reserve their energy and slept in the bus throughout the journey. Perhaps the heavy lunch earlier had something of a sleep-inducing affect as well!

When they finally arrived, all were ready to get on with the next lesson.

Tai Shan Public Cemetery 泰山第一公墓 is the final resting place for Lian Yatang 連雅堂 – or also known as Lian Heng 連橫 – the grandfather of Lian Zhan, the ninth President of Taiwan, who ruled between 1996 and 2000. Lian Heng was a grand historic figure, who penned many books such as the Taiwan General History 臺灣通史, which is still in use today. His first son was Lian ZhenTong, who was an active political member in the Chinese Nationalist party.

Joey gave the participants a first-hand experience in walking the dragons, when he led them through an Ancestor Mountain to the Main Mountain, negotiating steep slopes along the way. It was a great experience as they traced down the vein that carries Qi to the tomb area where Lian Heng lies. The participants braved themselves to climb the mountain without proper stairs or steps. Everyone definitely got a good workout from it for sure! But a sense of achievement was felt when all finally reached the peak. Mosquito bites were inevitable, but the view up there was worth it.

The participants learnt about a special formation there, where the Qi was concentrated on the 'Lip of a Cow", where Lian Zhan's grandfather's tomb was located. Joey said that this feature, coupled with the 'Looking Back at Ancestor" formation, was certainly not by chance that Lian Heng's descendant has good political standing.

'Walking the dragons at Tai Shan Cemetery was an eye-opener. I really saw in reality what I learnt in theory," said one participant named Eleen. The sentiment was shared by another participant, Nugzar, who commented: 'It's amazing to see the dragons and veins. I feel energized after walking the dragons. I am very happy."

This are all the reasons why Joey Yap's Feng Shui Excursions were a must for any Feng Shui enthusiasts, students and practitioners over the years, as nothing beats first-hand learning experience like this.

Day One ended with a Welcome Dinner, where the participants get to wind down and replenish their energy with good food. Their spirits were high as they continued to talk about their first experience in walking the dragons and what a great exposure they had on Landform Feng Shui.

As more walking the dragons are expected in the days ahead of the Excursion, some of the participants also went for a foot massage after dinner. Everyone should be good and ready for Day Two!