Feng Shui is Ernest J. Eitel's concise yet ambitious exposition of Chinese geomancy, presenting it not merely as superstition but as a coherent cosmological system linking landscape, architecture, ancestral burial, and human fortune. Written in the lucid, classificatory prose of nineteenth-century missionary scholarship, the book interprets feng shui through the categories of "natural science," philosophy, and religion. Its significance lies in its early English-language attempt to explain Chinese spatial thought within a Victorian intellectual context. Eitel, a German-born Protestant missionary, linguist, and colonial administrator in Hong Kong, brought to the subject both deep Sinological learning and the assumptions of his age. His work with Chinese language, education, and government placed him in daily contact with practices that shaped urban planning, domestic life, and public decision-making. Feng Shui reflects his effort to make those practices intelligible to Western readers, even when filtered through missionary critique. This volume is recommended to readers interested in Chinese cosmology, the history of anthropology, colonial knowledge, and the Western reception of Asian thought. Though modern readers must approach its judgments critically, Eitel's study remains a valuable historical document and an illuminating introduction to feng shui's intellectual foundations.

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- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
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Ernst Johann Eitel (1838 – 1908) was a German-born Protestant who became a notable missionary in China and civil servant in British Hong Kong, where he served as Inspector of Schools from 1879 to 1896.