To have good Feng Shui, the entrance into a home or business should have a Ming Tang, meaning a Bright Hall.
This is an open area, either just inside or outside the home or business. It is a design feature, a physical space.
It may be the open space of a front garden, the porch, or an entry area behind the front door. In a business, it may be the open space in front of an office building, the foyer, the reception area, or the zone between the door and the displays in a shop.
The purpose of the Ming Tang is to accumulate, regulate and settle the energy that comes from the outside and channel it into the building gracefully. It facilitates the transition between the public outside world and the private inside world. It sets the scene, adjusts the ambience for a home or premise.
In a home this is where you leave your shoes, coat and outside persona behind, and where you put on your private hat. In a business, this is where you become a player in the purposes of its particular activity.
A Ming Tang is your signature to the world; it is how you present yourself or your business. It gives the first impression, announces your identity.
No Ming Tang?
A long narrow hallway behind the front door is not a Ming Tang. The energy does not settle, but shoots straight through. A tight entrance is also not a Ming Tang. A front door opening straight into the lounge is not a Ming Tang – you don’t feel quite as private in such a space, are too exposed to the outside world.
If you don’t have a Ming Tang inside the home, you may be able to create a transition space outside:
- A low fence along the front of a property can help create a Ming Tang, if the area is too open and cannot contain the incoming energies.
- Cutting back intruding plants and keeping the front garden relatively open, if it is too planted up, can create a transition zone;
- Removing clutter from any external and internal entry spaces;
- Having a well lit entrance will not create a Ming Tang but make the entrance more welcoming.
The Ming Tang is not something you should skimp in design. It will help make you feel more settled inside the property, and will set the right tone and ambience with your visitors or clients.