Eight is very auspicious as it sounds similar to “prosperous” in Cantonese. Many people have phone numbers, bank accounts, car license plates, mobile phone numbers, etc. ending with 8. Living at a house with number 8 is also very favorable.

The number four is considered bad because in Cantonese it sounds very similar to “death”. It is is associated with bad luck and misfortune. Chinese people will avoid having a car or a house with this number.

All numbers can be reduced to a single digit by adding up all the numbers. For example, the number 235 reduced to a 1. If the number is long, the answer from adding the digits together will need to be reduced a few times until a single digit is left.

Another way is to combine them together. In Cantonese numbers have the following meanings

1 = unity
2 = easy
3 = liveliness
4 = death
5 = nothing, no
6 = profitable
7 = certainty, for sure
8 = prosperous
9 = longevity, enough

Numbers starting with a 1, 2 3, 6 and 8 are considered to be lucky. By combining numbers and their meanings it is possible to see which ones are lucky.

The practice of Feng Shui began in the West Han dynasty around the third century BC. Ever since then it has been incorporated into traditional Chinese architecture and has been followed by the rich and poor alike. In ancient China a city was planned in concentric rectangles surrounded by walls surrounded by lakes, hills, valleys, gardens, courtyards and parks.

Emperors built grand palaces and buildings from the time of the Shang dynasty (1711-1066 BC). Chinese Kings were considered sons of heaven and used to the principles of Feng Shui while building their palaces to create an environment favorable to power. The principles of Feng Shui created harmony between the forces of nature and this influenced man therefore the emperors ensured the principles of Feng Shui were followed when they built their palaces.

These palaces were surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens. These were incomplete without water and hills, a contrast between Yin and Yang, fluidity and solidity. The garden had to be a contrast between openness and closeness and curved and straight lines. The elements of the landscape were placed in such a way that the Yin (negative) and Yang (positive) were in harmony, balance, continuity and balance. These palaces and their gardens are proof of what the practitioners of Feng Shui achieved in ancient China.