Dreams about snakes or wedding dresses? An expert breaks down Chinese dream interpretation
- A dream interpretation specialist in Hong Kong breaks down Chinese dream culture, from its ancient roots to how she helps clients today
Learn the ins and outs of feng shui, villain hitting, and fortune-telling as well as the dos and don’ts for cultivating good luck in our series on Chinese superstitions.
People have, since ancient times, wondered about the meaning of their dreams. In China, systems for understanding omens and prognostications date back to 2000 BC.
That is according to The Interpretation of Dreams in Chinese Culture, a book by Juwen Zhang, a professor at Willamette University in the US state of Oregon and an expert on Chinese folklore.
Yin and yang – Taoist concepts according to which nature is made up of opposing, but complementary, energies – are central to the Duke of Zhou’s philosophy. Qi, a life force that is believed to flow through living beings, is also a key aspect and is said to determine whether we have good or bad dreams.