This thesis gives an overall interpretation of feng shui theory and its embodiments in Chinese traditional domestic architecture. Feng shui, combining the primeval cosmology and natural philosophy of ancient China, is the science and art of coordinating human settlements and burial places with the environment. The fundamental feng shui principles in relation to cosmic wholeness, power balance, and change are interpreted through examples of Chinese courtyard houses, in the aspects of siting, spatial organization, access design, and landscape aesthetics. In theory, feng shui manipulates the relation of living spaces and the environment through optimizing the circulation of the abstract being of qi, which has the collective influence of natural energy and human-behavioral effects. The learning of feng shui is both a comprehensive environmental study of architecture and a paranormal set of theories about it.

A historical account of the evolution of feng shui is woven into the theoretical interpretation of this thesis. Study on the two main schools of feng shui and their development through different historical periods until contemporary times gives clues to the multi-faceted manifestation of feng shui in forms of science, art, philosophy, and superstition. A critical review is given on certain valuable factors and superficial approaches within the learning of feng shui and its practice.