Feng Shui of the HSBC Headquarters Building in Hong Kong

The HSBC as we all know is one of the biggest banks in the world and when their headquarters are located in Central Hong Kong, they are especially hard not to notice.  The headquarters were completed in 1985 costing roughly $5 billion USD and ever since then they have undergone renovations many times throughout different segments of the building.

From a Feng Shui standpoint the headquarters are situated in a prime spot in Hong Kong facing the harbour and allowing it to prosper. From the mountain looking down towards the harbour of Hong Kong, one can see 5 main roads flowing down where the longest road leads right by HSBC. By using Google maps you can see that Garden Road (花園道) is the longest road leading towards the harbour.

The 5 main roads are like the veins of a Dragon. For HSBC, their property is located near the longest vein in the flow of energy. Most people or businesses would prosper if they are located near the end of the vein, but most importantly, the interior form must also adhere to proper Feng Shui standards in order to lead to prosperity.

In Feng Shui having good exterior form is of utmost importance since the natural environment is almost impossible to change. The location of HSBC is an example of an area where the natural environment can make it easier to bring about prosperity and good health. Unfortunately for the building itself, its modern and sleek design has major drawbacks to what is a near perfect location in Hong Kong.

To begin with, the amount of renovations that the building has undergone leads to many leakages of ‘Chi’, in Chinese, we call it “漏氣”. With all the renovations, holes and gaps are created in and outside the building where the energy cannot maintain a long term constant flow.

It is like having a roof with holes all over the top where you are trying to plug one hole and another hole suddenly manifests itself; as a result, you are constantly trying to patch a leaky roof without fixing it completely. During the renovations a construction worker also fell off the building and died on the road, leaving a black mark to the untainted Dragon vein. Consequently the road is now left with ‘shar chi’, 殺氣.

If one looks at the building, the steel pipes and support structures are shown on the outside. The building does not look like a normal office building; it looks like a manufacturing plant which is not in harmony with its surroundings of modern high-rises.

In addition, the building leans more towards the right which can result in people inside the building leaning towards a more bias view when dealing with difficult situations and decision making. Management in the building could behave in such a way that is unfair to his or her subordinates. The daily operations within the bank could get really messy and disorganized.

As one approaches the entrance of the building, reflective giant mirrors can be seen on the top directing the sunlight right down to the Ming Tang (名堂) on the main floor. (Ming Tang is where the energy collects near the entrance or at the entrance.)

Right in the entrance, you will be able to see a glass-top ceiling acting as an energy filtration system where it is utilized to concentrate the energy or light in the main floor. The problem with the main entrance is that the energy cannot be contained due to the ‘open space’ concept where the energy travels directly right through one side of the building to the other.

Moving to the back of the building, there are two bronze lions sitting there and some see it as a preventative measure against ‘shar chi’ 殺氣. After a walk around the building, it isn’t hard to notice that the back to the front is uneven. There is also a wave-like pattern from the back to the front. Imagine holding up the palm of your hands and pouring sand on it; obviously, the sand would leak. That is what the wave pattern is depicting, but for the building’s case, it is ‘leaking money’ (漏財).

Last but not least, when looking into the main entrance or atrium there are two escalators placed in a perfect scissors form going to the second floor. It also looks like two knives cutting right through the heart of the structure from underneath it.

The exterior form in Feng Shui is always the first priority when looking for a property. With the proper form, it is very important to use good Feng Shui standards in designing both the exterior and the interior of the building to take advantage of the natural environment. Although the location of HSBC’s headquarters in Hong Kong commands a superb location overlooking the harbour, the structure and building needs a second look.