The Chinese believe they need a constant balance with nature to exist peacefully. The Chinese believe that each direction has an essence.

North	Winter	Black	Water	Turtle
South	Summer	Red	Fire	Bird
East	Spring	Green	Wood	Dragon
West	Fall	White	Metal	Tiger
Center	No Season	Yellow	Earth	Man

• Wood is to moisten and descend
• Fire is to flame and ascent
• Wood is to be crooked and then straightened
• Soil is to provide for sowing and reaping

Each city was laid out with balance in mind. In the center of a city, the emperor's palace was placed. In the north, the marketplace was built. The south was considered a sacred place. Only the emperor was allowed to enter from the south. The palace itself faced the south.

The Chinese had two types of cities; royal and commercial. The royal city was a political city were the government was the main business. Skilled workers and merchants would dwell in the commercial cities. The streets were lined with drainage ditches and fruit trees. Very few people roamed at night.

Just like nature, the Chinese believed that their lives should have an equal amount of spiritual balance. It is referred to as the Yin and Yang:

Yang	Yin
Positive	Dark
Aggressive	Mysterious
Active	Shadows
Man	Cool
Bright	Secretive
Warm	Earth
Heaven	Submissive
Fire	Woman
Masculine
The Sun
Dry

According to the Chinese, to be earthy would be considered of no great worth. Yin and Yang control the seasons. Society must find a balance between the seasons. Too much of one thing would lead to a bad thing.
Ex: Too much Yang could lead to famine or fire