Exterior and interior Ming Tang

In a perfect situation the house orientation answers to the Ming Tang requirements, i.e. the architectural front side of the house is oriented to face the exterior Ming Tang.

We could have the situation of architectural front of the house and Ming Tang coinciding, this situation strengthened by interior design, where the active quarters are located towards the Ming Tang also.

This is a case of interior Ming Tang being connected to exterior Ming Tang. Now it is only a matter of allowing each individual room to have its own Ming Tang and connecting interior Ming Tang of rooms to promote smooth flow of Qi.

We have seen many examples where the architectural front of the building and the exterior Ming Tang coincide, but with the interior design, the active quarters, situated to the architectural back side of the house. Here we say, the interior Ming Tang is dispositioned.

In case you determined the Facing side of a house to be located at the architectural back, you need to also try locate all active rooms towards the architectural back.

Tangible Qi in a Ming Tang could be nice landscaping, waters, nice and healthy non obstructing objects, people’s activities.
Non tangible Qi, not just coming from open space, but beneficial or inauspicious Time based factors being admitted to a dwelling through this opening. 

We must therefore distinguish between Ming Tang to the Facing side of a built structure and the Flying Star situation contained in the Ming Tang. Ming Tang is a location relative to a built structure.

Whichever Flying Stars we may find into the direction of the Ming Tang, these do not specifically belong to the Ming Tang itself, but Stars are part of the intangible Qi being permitted into the built structure through the Ming Tang. Some people confused the Ming Tang to be where the Prominent Water Dragon is.

Anything within reasonable distance as compared to the built structure could be regarded as being part of the Ming Tang, because it is considered part of the built structure, but here more like a built structure’s aura.

Especially regarding tangible Qi, these need to be powerful and influential (emitting beneficial Qi) enough to be regarded as included in the Ming Tang. A very distant object will no longer influence the building, because it cannot emit its energy back into the structure.

In ancient times only one Ming Tang was defined. A grave would have one single Ming Tang. A city would have one single Ming Tang and the same would account for individual houses.

With changes in architecture, we may now have more complicated structures, like a house with the main Ming Tang to its Facing side, but with a door to one of its side walls. The door should be regarded as a Ming Tang in itself, however smaller it may be compared to the main Ming Tang, but it remains to be seen whether the door is to be found in the Facing Palace.

Smaller here may not as a definition mean less influential, as the door remains one of the main influential factors in assessing the Feng Shui for any house.

In ancient China, Ming Tang was often a central courtyard built externally, but within the confines of a building's structure. It was essentially an open courtyard enclosed by the square of a building.
A good house permits the connection of the exterior Ming Tang to the interior Ming Tang.

A central courtyard should have its design well thought out, where any placement should be in accordance to the current Period Star.
Temples may sometimes have central incense burners, trees, metallic objects or water, depending on the Period Star.
During Period 7 this central pond will not only deplete the Metal of Star 7, it may also lead to sex scandals, the combo 1-7 not only being one of the peach blossoms, but both trigrams 1 and 7 linked to water and therefore Kidneys and sex.

The main entryway needs to be opened to admit beneficial Qi to enter the house. Whatever Water Star resides at the door, each time the door is used it will glue itself to the people, who will then take it into the building.

Because once inside the house, we aim for good flow of Qi, it goes without saying that the door must be wide enough in relation to the size of the building. Special care needs to be taken as to its design and alignment.

To the Facing wall of the structure needs to be sufficient open space, well designed too, to allow for a good Ming Tang.
Ming Tang and door will now cooperate to define amount of Qi that will be admitted into the house, so we need a spacious entry hall.

Again, the main hall leading us to the rest of the house should be in relation to the size of the building, as it makes little sense to have a tiny hall, as Qi will be obstructed and not able to flow throughout the house.
Instead of being able to enter the house, a tiny hall will force Qi outside the house again.

Beneath the hall at the entrance of the house, we need to permit Qi to travel to the center of the house, where it meets with another Ming Tang, e.g. a self constructed spot where we attract, retain and accumulate Qi. Here we can install plants, lights, water, moving objects, round objects, in whatever shape or form we find would be in accordance with the Flying Star chart of the house.

Special focus should be on the Sitting wall, that may not permit Qi to leave the house before it had a chance to nurture the house and the people.
The Sitting wall should be solid, at least having the solid, stable, furniture to design a place where Qi can be retained and emitted back into the house and representing the Turtle.

Using this principle, we may apply Feng Shui even before we attended to the Flying Star chart of a built structure, adjusting a place based on observation and common sense.

But, Ming Tang is more than a spot in front of a dwelling. It is also the name of a structural design for the emperor to live in.

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