Properties from a Feng Shui perspective: Part 154
By David Koh and Joe Choo | Aug 20, 2010
Feng Shui of Petaling Jaya's Old Town
Petaling Jaya (PJ) began life as a satellite town of Kuala Lumpur. It was built from a rubber estate and situated quite far out of town, beyond other developments such as Taman Desa, Happy Garden and Overseas Union Garden, which we visited previously on our tour along Old Klang Road.
Access to this modest town was via Jalan Templer off Old Klang Road. From there, Road 1 and Road 2 branched off perpendicularly. Today, Road 1 is known as Jalan Othman while Road 2 is Jalan Railway or 1/2. The locals still call it “Road 2”. (For Google map reference, please log on to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)
As its name infers, Jalan Railway runs parallel to the railway tracks. It was mostly used to transport cargo from Klang to Kuala Lumpur. Today, it is more extensively used for the KTM Commuter service. Jalan Othman led to a big roundabout, which was the centre of town then. Hence, this area is dubbed PJ Old Town when the town expanded northward. We will discuss more about “New Town” when our tour reaches there.
The roundabout became the hub of PJ. On the south rim, there were two bus stations — one for the Klang-Port Swettenham Bus Company which plied the Kuala Lumpur, Klang and Port Klang routes, and the other for Sri Jaya. The Klang-Port Swettenham bus service was recognisable by its red colour, while Sri Jaya, which plies roads within PJ, was blue in colour.
Frank Swettenham
Port Swettenham, as you may know, was the original name for Port Klang. It was named after Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham. He was the first Resident General of the Federated Malay States (from year 1896 to 1901). He was also Selangor’s resident and the initiator of the rail link between Kuala Kumpur and Klang.
Swettenham was one of almost 40 former British Empire officials who opposed the formation of the Malayan Union after World War II. He produced a dictionary called Vocabulary of the English and Malay Languages and published two books — Malay Sketches and Unaddressed Letters. As is the standard practice of eradicating traces of Malaysia’s colonial past regardless of their contribution, the port was renamed Port Klang.
The bus stations at PJ Old Town also served as a gathering point of sorts. The wet market and a number of food stalls were located here. This area was famous for its bak kut teh and two competing noodle shops that operated in the evenings. One served the Cantonese fried variety while the other specialised in Hokkien style (recognisable by the liberal use of dark soya sauce).
North of the Old Town roundabout, there was a small row of shops, housing some clinics and a motorcycle shop. At one time, mini-buses were the blight in Old Town (and elsewhere!). These smaller buses constantly clogged up the roads. They charged a flat fare of 50 sen instead of the conventional bus services that charged based on distance. The idea was to have many of them running at all times, so that commuters were not bound by bus schedules and did not have to wait too long.
Mini-bus nightmare
This turned out to be a nightmare. Mini-buses started competing with each other for fares, and constantly endangered passengers, pedestrians and other road users by overcrowding, stopping indiscriminately and making illegal turns, among others. It was not uncommon to be yelled at by the rowdy conductors. “Dalam! Dalam! Masuk dalam lagi!” was their anthem.
Often, the drivers would wait for long periods in hopes of getting another passenger. Then, if another mini-bus departed on the same route, they would dash off like hell drivers to stay ahead of the other bus and snag passengers along the route. They would drive like illegal street racers trying to stay ahead. Woe betide the passenger who wanted to get off or took too long to do so!
The mini-bus phenomenon is now gone and the landscape in Old Town has changed drastically, too. Under a redevelopment programme, the roundabout is now gone and Jalan Othman runs straight through, with a traffic light junction added. It is not a bad thing as the thick undergrowth and large trees made it a popular haunt for vagrants and no-gooders.
The bus stations have since been relocated to the north of Jalan Othman. This is a modest two-storey complex and sits on part of the former roundabout. The shoplots remain unchanged. The southern half of the roundabout is now replaced by some new shoplots with lots of retail stores, a tuition centre and banks. The wet market sits at one corner of the traffic light intersection, between Jalan Othman and Jalan Terus or 4/42.
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| The bus stations located to the north of Jalan Othman are in a modest two-storey complex. - Filepic |
Gentle landform
From an environology perspective, the landform here is very gentle. Gasing Hill is located on the east side and there is a gentle slope descending westward at Jalan Rida 3/56. Some sections of Jalan Othman are actually part of a ridge. To the east, this is more apparent near Menara Mutiara Majestic but we will cover that in another article.
The old shop lots between Jalan Rida and the current bus stop have been there since the early days. However, they sit on very low ground. In fact, they look like they were built in a trench! This location may be similar to being in a valley where earth energy collects but it is too steep and small, and more like a rut.
Earth energy pours in quickly down steep slopes and may overwhelm the area. This may explain why these shops seem to remain trapped in a time bubble, showing little signs of progressing despite the redevelopment around them. The new shops between Jalan 1/12 and 1/14 where the old bus stations were located, sit in a location that real-estate experts would call prime property. They have a very high visibility and have the convenience of a bus station right in front of them.
Environologically speaking, this may not be the best location. Jalan Othman is on a higher ridge, and north-facing properties face higher land. Furthermore, the Klang River is located to the south, as is the railway line. Under such circumstances, the ideal orientation is south (following the slope) or west (following the river’s direction).
Not 'Just common sense'
This goes counter to common sense and intuition. There goes the misconception that Feng Shui is all about common sense couched in mystic mumbo-jumbo! According to environology principles, properties that face high land come face-to-face with earth energy flowing in the opposite direction. This is considered unconducive because it may overwhelm the occupants of such buildings. It is better to face the opposite downhill direction as the back of the building then provides a protective barrier and slows the energy down.
A boulder in a fast flowing river would be buffeted strongly on the upstream side whereas its downstream face will be shielded. Furthermore, as water flows around it, it slows down and collects in gentle eddies at the downstream face. Similarly, earth energy slows and blends in a gentle, homogenous manner in front of a downhill facing house. This is considered conducive.
Properties that face uphill will likely find their occupants struggling for success, and even if success is obtained, it may not reach its full potential or it could be difficult to sustain. Often, a businessman may still be successful in an unconducive location due to his Life Profile and the conduciveness of his home, but the business may be vulnerable to downturns or worse, lasts for only one life time.
From this perspective, the wet market is in an ideal location and is likely to do well. South-facing properties on Jalan 1/12 are likewise likely to fare well. Jalan 1/21 or Jalan Pasar’s west-facing shops, such as the Public Bank branch, have conducive orientations too.
We will continue our look at PJ Old Town in our next article.
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You can e-mail questions on Feng Shui and properties to Prof David Koh at davidkoh618@yahoo.com. This series on Feng Shui and real estate appears courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a Feng Shui master and teacher for the past 36 years.
Read other Feng Shui articles by Master David Koh and Joe Choo:
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