Chinese Superstitions and Real Estate in Calgary

August 6, 2013
By Cody Battershill

Chinese Superstitions and Real Estate in Calgary

The Chinese culture is filled with many traditions and superstitions. As one of the world’s oldest civilizations, many of these have been passed down through the generations over hundreds, if not thousands of years.

These superstitions are as diverse as they are ancient and can range from someone ruining their life by hitting someone with a broom to someone slowing down their business and ruining any fortune they have by confining a turtle as a pet.

Some Chinese people might fully believe in these superstitions while others might only accept them as a long-standing family tradition.

Whichever way, it’s ideal to know about these Chinese superstitions and traditions especially when living in such a diverse and multicultural city such as Calgary, Alberta and are looking to sell your home.

Feng Shui and Real Estate

Feng Shui is an ancient practice created in China over 3,000 years ago teaching how to design buildings and arrange objects to improve luck, health and prosperity. One of its main ideas is that nature is filled with an energy called Chi which permeates from all of our surroundings.

When it comes to real estate, Feng Shui can be a determining factor for many Chinese buyers.

Homes Entrance Way

One of the most important features of a home for the superstitious Chinese is the entrance way. Any objects in front of the homes entrance such as a tree for example are said to block the entrance of Chi, or positive energy, into the home.

Another important feature is an entrance way on the homes left side with a curved path leading up to it as straight paths are believed to lead evil spirits directly into the home.

Door Positions and Staircase

Homes with a back door directly in line with the front door are bad luck. They are believed to have Chi come in only to have it go straight out the back door. Chinese superstitious want Chi to come into their homes, stay, and circulate throughout. The more positive energy, the better.

Another avoidable feature is staircases that lead right out the front door. It is said that residents will have their fortunes go down the staircase and right out the front door if this is the home layout they live in, especially if an upstairs room has its door open directly in front of the staircase.

Twisting staircases are also unfavourable because they are said to cause Chi to spin, resulting in the creation of negative energy.

Location

Homes on elevated terrain are said to be more prone to encountering positive energy and staying away from the negative, while a property with its front facing north is bad luck and will bring misfortune to the whole family.

T-Intersections and Traffic

Homes facing T intersections or on arched roads where traffic points towards the home are also unfavoured. These roadways typically have lots of traffic with many vehicles going past and for the superstitious, act as bearers of negative energy towards a home.

Homes with little traffic are the opposite and are considered a positive place to live.

Numbers Are Key

Apart from Feng Shui, many Chinese home buyers are very particular when it comes to the address.

Having the right numbers in the address is said to bring luck while having the wrong numbers can bring on a whole bunch of negative occurrences such as disease and more.

Unlucky Numbers 0, 4, 5, 6

The number 0 in Chinese sounds a lot like the word “empty”. No one wants to have empty finances or not do well financially. This is why during Chinese holidays or special occasions the red envelopes they give to one another in celebration are usually filled with an amount of money without a zero in its sum.

Addresses with the number 4 in them are likely to be avoided by the superstitious buyer. When spoken in Chinese the number 4 sounds a lot like the word “death”.

5 is associated with the word “not” in Chinese and is usually avoided, although if paired with a 4 to create 54, it can mean “no death” and turns into a positive meaning.

As for the number 6, it is similar in pronunciation to the Chinese word that means decline, or fall and is also usually avoided.

Lucky Numbers 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

All of these numbers are lucky numbers for the Chinese superstitious.

Many Chinese believe all good things come in pairs; therefore number 2 is symbolic of a pairing and is considered good luck.

The number 3 sounds much like the word for “birth”, and also represents the significant stages in a Chinese man’s life, including birth, marriage and death. It is also a very lucky number.

Number 7 sounds similar to the word “life essence” in Chinese. Especially lucky is the number 8 as it sounds very similar to the word “wealth” or “prosper”.

Chinese Superstitions and Real Estate in Calgary…

Approximately one quarter of Calgary’s population is foreign born and over 120 languages are spoken in our city! We are very blessed to live in such a diverse place with people from around the world bringing their beliefs, interests and backgrounds here and sharing them with us, one of them being the Chinese.

Hopefully this information on Chinese superstitions and real estate can help Calgary home sellers better prepare for this particular group of home buyers.

Questions about Calgary Real Estate?

Call me anytime at 403-370-4180 or message me below. I would love to have the opportunity to help you maximize your home’s value when selling and help you accomplish your real estate goals!