Properties from a feng shui perspective: Part 116
By DAVID KOH AND JOE CHOO | Nov 20, 2009
Feng Shui: Lacking Lustre
Taman Seputeh is well-known for its proximity to the Mid Valley Megamall. Yet this township predates the latter by many, many years. It was among the earliest suburbs to be developed south of Kuala Lumpur, located across the Klang River from Brickfields.
The area has a very low profile despite several attempts to elevate it into a high-end residential district. After all, it is situated close to the city, easily accessible via the Federal Highway, is a stone’s throw away from the Megamall and is serviced by a KTM Komuter line.
There are possibly a few reasons for this lackluster performance. A most glaring one is the neighbouring Kwong Tong Cemetery, the largest and oldest Chinese cemetery in the city. It spans 343 acres and has not changed much in over 100 years!
People are a superstitious lot. Perhaps they find the idea a little too creepy, what with the spate of Chinese “vampire” movies that were all the rage some years ago! Interestingly enough, cemeteries are quite alright, by environology standards. They are peaceful and quiet places. One is not likely to be disturbed by loud parties or inconsiderate neighbours! Furthermore, the landform is generally very good as the land was chosen for such a purpose, so as to benefit the descendants of the deceased.
Let us begin our tour from the northernmost section. As one enters Seputeh off the Federal Highway via Jalan Robson, he will come to Lorong Syed Putra Kiri. (For Google map reference, please log on to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)
This road goes around the perimeter of the cemetery, or rather the foot of the hills (Bukit Seputeh, if we’re not mistaken) on which the cemetery sits. In fact, it runs straight the cemetery and joins Jalan Kerayong and subsequently Jalan Bellamy on the other side of the hills.
Renowned school
The renowned Alice Smith School is located along Jalan Bellamy. The Bosnia and Herzegovina Embassy is also located here. Jalan Bellamy joins Jalan Bukit Petaling and is an auxiliary road to Istana Negara. It also branches out into Lorong Bellamy to service the Kuen Cheng Girls High School. Previously, before the Federal Highway became too busy, parents and school buses could stop along the kerb to pick up the children but for safety reasons, that is no longer possible.
This school was established way back in 1908 and celebrated its centenary last year by opening enrolment to boys as well. Thus, it is now called Kuen Cheng High School. The school is located in a very good spot. On its west, it is embraced by the curving Klang River and to the east, there is Bukit Petaling. That means there is earth energy coming from the east toward the river.
As it reaches the riverbank, the energy is reflected and deflected. Due to the curvature of the embankment, this rebounded energy is concentrated in a pool within the embrace. Therefore, any building that faces the river will benefit from it. So long as the school faces west or south, it should continue to do well.
On the other hand, the Klang River bends away as it reaches Lorong Syed Putra Kiri. Therefore, buildings here do not get to enjoy the effects of a pool of gentle, homogenous energy. There is none here. Thus, the occupants here will not perform as well as their neighbours in Brickfields across the river, provided those neighbours face the embracing river.
Old boys
Next door is the home of the Malay College Old Boys’ Association (MCOBA). This is a very old association, established in 1929, 24 years after the opening of the Malay Residential School, now known as the Malay College Kuala Kangsar.
The school itself was founded to educate the Malay elite – children of royalty and nobility – and became known as the Eton of the East. Indeed, it was a premier residential all-boys, all-Malay school located in no less than the royal town of Kuala Kangsar. The students were trained to serve in the Malay Civil Service. The British administration stated in a 1910 report that “from this school, the government have great hopes that the sons of the Malays of the Raja and higher class will be educated and trained on the lines of an English Public School and be fitted to take a share in the Government of their Country”.
Is it not, that the British never considered Malaya as “their” country and were interested in empowering the nobility to participate in governance? In any case, the school served its noble purpose as it indeed helped raise a generation of leaders who eventually formed the government upon Independence.
The college’s alumni include Datuk Onn Jaafar, Tun Abdul Razak, Anwar Ibrahim, Hishamuddin Hussein, Shahrir Samad and even the infamous Raja Petra Kamaruddin. Another interesting personality was Anthony Burgess, author and composer, who served as a teacher and housemaster at the college. He left after a year following a dispute with the headmaster!
Modest performers
Both MCOBA and MAYC buildings are aligned well in that they face the highway – and river. However, they are located at the outer elbow of the river and cannot tap into any energy pools here. Nonetheless, they do not face high land and therefore are spared its negative effects. Thus, these buildings have staying power and longevity but are not likely to clock in stellar performances.
There are some low-cost flats located at Lorong Syed Putra Kiri. The buildings are lined parallel to the highway. Bukit Petaling is located on the north, to its side. Therefore, they are quite neutral, neither good nor bad.
Further along this road, the road bends to the left, and within its embrace is a restaurant at the foothill. This is a very conducive location, and business ought to be good here. The proprietor did the smart thing in putting the restaurant here despite the narrow sliver of land. The restaurant thus has a high back and low front.
The easier option would have been to build the restaurant across the road, which is more spacious but that would be the outer elbow and a low back, to boot. Such an orientation would be very poor for business.
Grave view
Yet, a casual observation reveals a rather sad picture of peeling paint and poor maintenance. Certain sides of the buildings also have a “grand” view of the cemetery. We reckon quiet and private do not go down well when one lives next door to a cemetery or if the place is generally deserted. There are no other buildings nearby, nor any activities of any kind. Walking home at night would definitely be out of the question, especially for the faint-hearted!
These are the human factors. Fear, superstition and a wild imagination could contribute to deterring people from staying here. However, there are also many people – we’re sure you count yourself among these numbers – who do not believe in the supernatural and would have no problem moving in and staying put.
Therefore, the conditions could be due to landform. The road bends away from these buildings, creating an outer elbow. The buildings are also located on a slope with the entrance facing uphill. These factors are not very conducive to begin with.
Vertical buildings – condominiums, skyscrapers and so forth – are not very environologically conducive structures. Hills and mountains have gradients, unlike buildings, which rise vertically.
Where there is a mountain located next to a hill, energy from the mountain can flow over the top of the lower hill. This slows down the energy flow, making it gentler and more conducive. In some of our previous articles, we noted these are “molehills”, turtlebacks or mounds, on which practically every facing direction is considered good, except if the front dips sharply.
Buildings do not have this slope and thus, energy from the mountains does not infuse the buildings as readily. Having a downhill-facing orientation helps but overall, the building tends to be drained of energy, rather than collect them. Over time, it gets worn down and needs to be reignited with energy.
Therefore, environology could be one of many different factors that contribute to the condominiums’ current state of affairs.
**Prof David Koh will give two lectures at The Star’s Property Fair 2009 to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Nov 27-29. On Nov 27, he will speak on “Outlook for 2010” and on Nov 29, the topic will be on “How to Choose a Good Property from a Feng Shui Perspective.” The lectures are open to the public free of charge.
*This series on feng shui and real estate properties appear courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). David Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a feng shui master and teacher for the past 35 years.
Click here for more details on The Star's Stylish Living Property Fair
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