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January 29, 2014

A worker tests the lights in a horse-shaped lantern during a photo opportunity ahead of the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year at a lantern factory outskirt of Beijing January 22, 2014. - Reuters pic, January 29, 2014.The coming Chinese Year of the Horse may bring conflicts and disasters related to fire but strong gains in stocks linked to wood, the year's two dominant elements, say Hong Kong's practitioners of the ancient art of feng shui.

Believers in the Chinese form of geomancy see the universe as made up of five elements earth, water, fire, wood and metal that define the mood and direction of the world. The Chinese zodiac has 12 animals that interact with the elements.

The Year of the Horse, the lunar new year that starts on January 31, contains a great deal of fire, bringing energy, and also wood, fuelling the flames, and making them stronger.

"The upcoming Horse year is also a 'yang wood' year, when people will stick more to their principles and stand firm," said Raymond Lo, a practitioner for more than 20 years who has students all over the world.

"So it is hard to negotiate or compromise as there are more tendencies for people to fight for their ideals."

The combination of a Horse year and a "yang wood" year, which comes round every 60 years, has a record of regional warfare.

The last such year was 1954, which witnessed the Battle of Dien Bien Phu that ended with the defeat of France by the Vietnamese. The previous such year was 1894, which marked the start of the first Sino-Japanese war.

Alion Yeo, another Hong Kong feng shui practitioner, predicted extra turbulence in February, May and August.

"The biggest concern is the disagreement between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands," said Yeo about the disputed islands in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan.

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