Lo Shu Square
The
Lo Shu Square, a unique normal
magic square of order three, is an important part of
Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of
geomancy.
Traditional Chinese cities and temples were laid out in a square broken into nine sections; the odd numbers in the
Lo Shu Square are male or
yang, while the even numbers are female or
yin. The numbers 1, the beginning of all things, and 9, representing completion, are considered most auspicious, while the number 5 at the centre is the most powerful. The Lo Shu square, in the form of a trigram, gives the basis for determining the orientation of buildings, and is also a diagrammatic representation of the seasons showing the ratio of yin and yang in the annual cycle.