Of course, if feng shui and ba zi are held to the same level of rigour and falsifiability that the natural sciences are held to today, it would be easy to dismiss them as pseudoscience. Nevertheless, there is a place for Chinese metaphysics as a valuable source of cultural knowledge that eludes ethnic or religious boundaries. 

So do feng shui and ba zi really work? Kek and Chan, who work with private individuals and corporate clients, including Chanel, Club Med and DBS Bank, recall stories of feng shui audits on clients struggling to conceive. Shortly after their advice, they received news of successful conceptions. Sai, meanwhile, remembers helping a small‑business owner, who had given up on feng shui after consulting three other masters to no avail. But after his audit, the business improved. On why the other three masters failed to turn his client’s fortunes, Sai posits that it could be that they practise different classical schools of thought, which may not have accounted for modern realities. 

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For Wang‑Lysiak, it was a feng shui master who pushed her to success. She had originally planned to pursue a career in fashion and design, but the master persuaded her to go into real estate instead after reading her chart. The career switch brought out the best of her skills, and she was rewarded with a litany of awards and her first million by age 25. If ba zi had given her this much, it is perhaps no surprise that after the pivotal moment of her grandmother’s passing, she redirected her focus to “helping people navigate life through astrology, rather than make lucrative gains flipping houses”. 

The masters are quick to point out, however, that feng shui and ba zi are not magical fixes. “[Feng shui] is about creating a balanced and conducive space rather than relying on supernatural interventions,” Kek and Chan say. Similarly, after analysing one’s luck cycle in a ba zi reading, Sai says that individuals must continue to work hard to counteract any bad luck. 

As for the profile of clients, you can find almost every type of person across every stratum of society, such as private individuals looking for property advice or solutions to family conflicts, companies configuring their office spaces and entrepreneurs seeking business advice. Word‑of‑mouth recommendations continue to play an important role in landing new clients, both local and foreign, across the board—which is why Kek and Chan’s consultancy business remains popular even without extensive marketing efforts. 

It is also worth noting that the pain points of clients have changed over the years. “In the past, people aimed for wealth,” says Tan, who claims a lineage of more than 20 generations of feng shui masters across Singapore and China. “Nowadays, individuals are more inclined to seek a comfortable environment, a harmonious family life and positive interpersonal relationships.”

In fact, Tan believes that feng shui remains relevant today because “mastering human emotions remains challenging”. He adds: “Feng shui teaches the art of understanding oneself and others. Successful individuals value others’ opinions, while those who fail often tend to be self‑opinionated.” 

All of the masters interviewed agree that the popularity of feng shui and ba zi is increasing, especially among the younger generations. In fact, Wang‑Lysiak says that it is the younger clients who “come in more regularly for their charts to be read”, dispelling the notion that Chinese metaphysics is a relic of the past. Hearteningly, Kek and Chan also note a boost in clients from a variety of races and religions. 

The popularity of Chinese metaphysics today necessitates the evolution of the traditional practice to keep up with the times. For some, it is embracing social media, which Tan has been doing at Way Fengshui Group to great “widespread recognition”.

Stunning product shots, expertly designed collaterals and engaging educational videos populate the group’s social media, thanks to its chief executive officer, Tan’s 43‑year‑old son Mark. The younger Tan is behind Way Fengshui Group’s content, bringing with him a youthful sensibility to its social media strategy to bring in new generations of clients.

Wang‑Lysiak herself employs social media to good use, advertising her consultancy services. But the heart of her work is in Venusology, her pet‑friendly vegetarian cafe where she does most of her ba zi readings. Combining her passion for animals, food, astrology and the environment, it is a space designed for human connection, and injects a modern, youthful energy into the practice of feng shui and ba zi.

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Online consultations have also become increasingly common among feng shui and ba zi masters. For Kek and Chan, this works in tandem with digital tools such as Google Maps to carry out “concise property analyses”, which is especially helpful for their international clients. Computer‑generated ba zi charts also accelerate the process, as do app‑based reports that have made their insights more digestible. Recognising as well that traditional artefacts to “optimise energy flow such as large red roosters and dragon designs” have fallen out of favour with modern design aesthetics, Kek and Chan opt for more modern artefacts, chosen, they say, in “close collaboration” with the homeowners, architects and interior designers, to blend in with the home decor while still upholding feng shui principles. 

For younger masters, modernising the craft could just simply mean asserting their presence in the industry. The stereotype of the reputable feng shui or ba zi master is still, after all, a sage older individual, while younger masters are often suspected to be scammers or deemed inexperienced, something Sai recalls he experienced when he was in his 20s, when he started MZ Fengshui Mastery. But it did not faze him; his growing reputation for reliable analysis certainly did not hurt. “I needed to come out as young as possible to gain experience,” he says. Almost two decades later, Sai remains committed to updating traditional teaching with new methods to best serve his clients.

However these masters choose to take their practice, one thing is for certain: they are passionate about their work. “Pride” is the word that Kek and Chan use; “motivated” is Sai’s. For Wang‑Lysiak, keeping in touch with her clients and seeing her impact never fails to show “how powerful the wisdom of ancient astrology can be for those who seek help, truth and knowledge”.

“Each client becomes a valued friend,” says Tan, adding that he can “recall extensive details, making consultations with clients quite rewarding. I treat each case as a personal achievement, even regarding it as my own child.” 

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