龍脈：中國傅統之山脈的地景隱喻

The Dragon and the Veins of the Earth Chinese Traditional Landscape Metaphors

In their interpretation of the overall physical appearance of the landscape the Chinese traditionally regard it as a well-structured world. According to Chinese belief the chi (of the earth) and the mai (veins of the earth) are the most significant metaphors to describe the way in which a spatial formation is made visible on the face of the earth. In this essay I examine how the mai and the chi as two major modes of representation has affected the interpretation of landscape in the past, and continues to do so today. Consequently, I explore how people translate the beliefs of chi and mai into structuralized forms, and how their beliefs inform their description of nature. The essay concludes with an examination to discern the traditional representation based on visible landscape features in Taiwan.