Officials in Singapore have changed the direction of the world's biggest observation wheel because feng shui masters said it was taking good fortune away from the city, a report said on Saturday.
Singapore can hope for a lot of good luck now that feng shui is on its side! The “Wheel of Fortune” in the city-state was until recently revolving in the wrong direction but local feng shui masters have now rectified the error. They have convinced officials to change the direction of the world's biggest observation wheel in order to prevent fortune from leaving the city, a report said on Saturday.
The Singapore Flyer, which opened earlier this year, had originally revolved so that it rose to face the business district and went down overlooking the sea, the Strait Times newspaper said.However, masters of the ancient Chinese art of geomancy persuaded the wheel's management to reverse its direction.
"A number of feng shui masters had approached us to tell us that the Flyer is on the perfect site to pick up the good qi (energy) flowing into Singapore, but it was going in the wrong direction," said Florian Bollen, the Singapore Flyer's chairman.
"The Flyer was going against the sun and taking fortune away from Singapore."
Bollen likened the change to the "completion of a perfect movie" to give a better story, but added that it cost the company a "six figure sum," the report said.
For visitors now riding one of the wheel's 28 air-conditioned capsules, their view starts with beaches and housing estates in the east and culminates with a vista of the business center.
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Despite being a modern city Singapore is a largely ethnic Chinese nation, where traditions still hold sway.
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TAN/L