Meshing fengshui with Western values

GROWING up with a famous fengshui master for a father, Mark Tan never quite understood why people had such respect for what he did for a living. This was despite the numerous poems and lessons about fengshui concepts and philosophies the elder fengshui Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong imbued in his son.

"I knew he went to people's houses, he gave advice, and people were happy with his service," said Mr Tan, now the CEO of Way Fengshui Group which grew from his father's fengshui consultancy established in 1984. "But it was a very detached part of me."

Mr Tan began to appreciate Chinese culture when he was studying in an American university, and listened to schoolmates from Taiwan and China discuss the differences between Western and Chinese cultures.