Integrating ancient Chinese feng shui philosophy with smart city technologies: A culturally sustainable urban planning framework for contemporary China

China’s unprecedented urbanization has fueled technological innovation while simultaneously intensifying environmental degradation, cultural erosion, and social inequality. Amid this tension, traditional philosophies such as Feng Shui – long embedded in Chinese spatial planning – remain underutilized in the context of smart city development. This study explores the integration of classical Chinese feng shui philosophy with advanced smart city technologies to develop a culturally sustainable approach to urbanization in modern China. While traditional Chinese feng shui philosophy, rooted in the principle of harmony between humanity and nature, has informed urban planning for centuries, it remains under-researched as a framework for applying modern smart city technologies. By combining cultural heritage with cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and green infrastructure, this research addresses the growing tension between urbanization and cultural preservation. Using a mixed-methods approach – including case studies of Chinese cities such as Beijing and Hangzhou, spatial analysis through geographic information system mapping, and interviews with cultural experts and urban planners – the study identifies key synergies and challenges in aligning feng shui principles (e.g., energy flow [Qi] and natural balance) with smart city objectives such as energy efficiency and sustainable resource use. The proposed model not only advances environmental and social sustainability but also reinforces Chinese cultural heritage in urban development. The findings demonstrate that it is possible to design cities that are both technologically advanced and culturally meaningful – a model potentially replicable by other nations experiencing similar dilemmas. The study concludes with policy implications for urban planners and identifies areas for future research, such as the scalability of the framework and its adaptability across diverse cultural and geographic contexts.