Feng Shui Made Easy

Feng Shui expert, Dear Modern Founder and TikTok star Cliff Tan talks us through his fascinating career, his down-to-earth approach to Feng Shui and why he wants to make this mystical art accessible to everyone

- YAIZA CANOPOLI

You used to work as an architect—how did you break into Feng Shui?

Working as an architect, I’ve always applied the principles of Feng Shui in the background. I would rarely explicitly mention those ideas as I did not want to alarm my clients. My family is very into Feng Shui and my grandfather was actually a master, so I gained basic knowledge through them over the years, but it took me years to build my knowledge, especially on form Feng Shui, which is very intuitive.

What’s form Feng Shui?

How is it different from other Feng Shui? Essentially, there’s Flying Stars and then there’s form Feng Shui. They are not separate, but complementary. Form Feng Shui is about the landforms, flow of energy and structures, it is said to be the most original form of Feng Shui and usually takes precedence. It was after the compass was invented that Feng Shui was developed to incorporate precise magnetic directions with its associated elemental qualities. Form Feng Shui is simpler but more difficult to master and is the one that I usually talk about.

You have a unique approach to Feng Shui, trying to make it as understandable and accessible as possible, particularly through your TikTok videos. Why do you think it’s important to break it down that way?