Chances are you might have noticed the Chinese fung shui compass, or luo pan, in the upper right-hand corner of this column each week. In Hong Kong, smaller versions of it can be seen hanging on or above doors, and it is widely available for sale in markets. What is its significance?
Luo means to encompass all types of information from various sources, while pan refers to a plate. In other words, the compass is a collection of plates that encodes theories from numerous fung shui schools. It comes in two styles, the basic free-standing wooden saucer-shaped disc, or the functional form, with the circular disc fitting and rotating within a square wooden base, marked with two sighting lines made of red thread. All compasses have a central area enclosed in glass where a magnetised needle is suspended in methylated spirits and rotates to align itself with north and south. Traditionally, fung shui masters are able to determine from the alignment of the compass needle the direction of the property they are assessing.
Apart from being the fung shui master's tool, the luo pan is also used to protect against negative, or sha, energy, which explains why it is sometimes hung vertically above front doors.