Abstract:
Pungsu (fengshui in Chinese) is often known as geomancy in the West, and has been understood by some scholars as a superstition, the rudiments of natural science of China or a quasi-religious and pseudo-scientific system. However, it is an ancient Chinese system of divining locations that can not easily be classified or labelled using a Western category. It is not a clear cut superstition, religion or science, but an art comprised of all three. The influence of geomantic ideas on Korean culture is so profound that it is almost impossible to understand the people-land relationships in Korea without appreciating the nature of geomancy and its role in Korean culture. Ever since this idea was introduced to Korea, it has been an important part of the Korean way of thinking in dealing with the environment. Its impact is clearly visible in Korean settlement landscapes, grave landscapes, the practice of religious beliefs and even in Korean literature and paintings.