Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – There are people who use feng shui as a guide in living life in the new year. There are also those who are skeptical and reluctant to believe in Chinese astrology. Of course, this is all individual choice.

However, there is an interesting story from Indonesian businessman Sudono Salim alias Liem Sioe Liong. He is a person who really believes in feng shui and uses it as a guideline for business, apart from economic and mathematical calculations. In fact, his great dependence on feng shui made him the richest person in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

What's the story?

Historians Richard Borsuk and Nancy Chng in Liem Sioe Liong and Salim Group (2016) said, Salim is a person who really believes that feng shui can bring luck or luck.

So, he always consulted a feng shui expert to live his life. This consultation also relates to homes and offices.

Regarding Salim's house, take into account the feng shui elements precisely. He didn't want the position of the house to be inconsistent with feng shui. When he first arrived in Jakarta in the 1950s he is known to have bought a house on Jl. Gunung Sahari VI, Jakarta. The house is simple, located in a narrow alley and only 1 floor.

However, behind that simplicity, Salim believes the house brings luck. As a result, he didn't want to renovate the house at all. In fact, when he became the richest person in Indonesia, Salim remained firm in not wanting to change the house. The reason, said Borsuk and Chng, is so as not to interfere with feng shui as an element of luck.

A similar case also occurred in 1968. At that time, Salim together with Sudwikatmono, Djuhar Sutanto and Ibrahim Risjad wanted to start a business. Instead of using a large and comfortable office, Salim prefers a simple office located on Jl. Asemka No. 20, Jakarta.

“Their office is not air-conditioned. It is an 8×6 meter room located on the top floor of an inconspicuous building in the heart of Jakarta's Chinatown. […] The room only has one table and two chairs. In fact, there was only one telephone line and it was shared with another office,” wrote Richard Borsuk and Nancy Chng.

The choice of place is of course based on feng shui considerations. For Salim, the office location on the 4th floor of a shophouse can bring good luck. As a result, Salim ignored various persuasions to move offices. He insisted on defending the room.

Later, all these feng shui beliefs were proven. Salim's business is booming, especially the business with his three friends. More than that, thanks to efforts to involve mystical-spiritual matters, Salim's business in the future will become increasingly successful.

Feng Shui unfortunately only worked well while Suharto was still in power. During that era, Salim's business covered many strategic sectors in the Indonesian economy. Salim also became rich and became the richest person in Indonesia and Southeast Asia during the New Order regime. However, when Suharto resigned, Salim's business automatically experienced a setback.

Even so, it seems that Salim's son, Anthony, still believes in feng shui. Anthony, write Richard Borsuk and Nancy Chng, inherited his father's tradition of frequently consulting feng shui experts before determining the time for important events, such as the launch of a company or the opening of a factory.

Now, thanks to making feng shui a business step, Anthony is the same as his father: at the top of the list of Indonesia's richest people. Forbes placing Anthony as the 5th richest person in Indonesia with assets of US$ 10.3 billion.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(mfa/sef)