The Chinese Lunar Calendar

[Cecil Lee]

It is interesting to note the following:
1. Migration of Chinese dialect groups / clans
1.1 Taiwan - Majority of the Chinese originate from Fujian province and are known as the Hokkien.
1.2 Hong Kong - Cantonese is the predominate Chinese dialect group. Majority migrated from the Canton province.
2. Calendar System Used
2.1 Motherland China:
Main calendar: Chinese Lunar Calendar System
While mainly for farming the Farmers use the `Seasons calendar' known as Hsia or Xia Li.
2.2 Taiwan:
Calendar System: Chinese Lunar Calendar System
Majority of this group of Chinese, especially the practitioners do not speak or understand English.
You seldom hear their voice in the internet world particularly English internet sites.
2.3 Hong Kong:
Calendar System: Hsia or Xia Li
This is why, we can understand so many people who had picked up Feng Shui from Hong Kong; use the Hsia to calculate Pillars of Destiny.
As Hong Kong was formerly a British colony, many of these practitioners because of their advantage in English, migrated to British Canada and USA.
2.4 Singapore and Malaysia
Because of the influence of Hong Kong and Taiwan, have a mix of practitioners practising Lunar and Hsia.
As there are no majority dialect groups, you have as much as 10 or more different dialect groups or clans such as the Teochews, Hokkiens, Cantonese, Hakka etc...
3. Which Calendar System is more superior?
3.1 There are no superior calendar system.
3.2 Just that each calendar system is used for specific purposes.
3.3 It is thus not right to use only the Hsia (Xia Li) calendar as adopted by many `Hong Kong' practitioners because its major FLAW is that it cannot detect an `intercalary' month.
This is where if that particular year has double months e.g. two 7th months, your month of birth get displaced by one month.
3.4 The Lunar Calendar System cannot also be taken into isolation. As it has to be cross-referenced to the Hsia calendar to check the season of strength.
4. Use both methods
4.1 Thus, our approach is that we have always used both calendar system to determine Pillars of Destiny.
4.2 To this date, some `Hong Kong' practitioners still `swear' by the superiority of the Hsia calendar system.
Yet, some were even questioned as to why they use the Lunar Calendar method for determing Flying Star. (There is a Hsia version of Flying Star). Since Hsia is `so superior' one might as well adopt Hsia method altogether.
4.3 For convenience, some of these practitioners use Lunar for the Year, Day and Time but switched over to Hsia calendar to determine the month.
Thus if there is an intercalary month, it is like comparing an apple with an orange.
When concerning birthdates, the Chinese have always considered the Lunar Calendar system.
I hope, you will find the above useful should you decide to do a Pillars of Destiny. Not all Pillars of Destiny calculations are the same.