Feng Shui Master Fu Botong

Fu Botong was a jinshi graduate of the Song dynasty who rose to the rank of Grand Master for Court Audiences and Pillar of the State, and was enfeoffed as a Founding Baron. Renowned for his mastery of geomancy, he was once ordered to survey a site for the Southern Song imperial court’s capital. In a memorial, he advised that Hangzhou was suitable only as a temporary seat of government and should not be inhabited for long. His recommendation ultimately helped bring about the Southern Song’s decision to retreat to the south of the Yangtze and maintain a reduced realm. Fu Botong studied under Liao Yu, founder of the Jinjing school, and Lai Wenjun. His work The Method for Urging the Official Star profoundly influenced later feng shui theory. He maintained that feng shui must be judged by considering both the terrain and the flow of water, and argued that Hangzhou had “weak terrain and configuration,” making it unsuitable as a lasting capital.