fung shui

— Hong Kong has reason enough to feel glum these days, and not only because 6 million subjects have suddenly lost their British governor. For one thing, the superstitious, and those who follow the Chinese geomancy know as fung shui, are making much of the circumstances of Sir Edward's passing. He was the first governor ever to die in office. He died up in Peking, which many still think of as the enemy capital. He died while he was on Hong Kong business -- indeed, it looks as though he died from the very rigors of that business. And he died on the unpropitious fourth of the month -- the Cantonese sound for the number four being homophonic with the Cantonese word for death. Very bad fung shui, the magic men say, with consequent ill luck to come.