The Zi Wei Dou Shu polar astrology is of Taoist origins and was first scripted in the middle of the 830s AC by Master Lu Tzu. This master later passed on his knowledge to Master Chen Tuan, the distinguished master of I Ching. Chen Tuan went to a city called Luo Yang, the capital and converging centre of knowledge of that time. Luo Yang was divided into three branches. The largest of which migrated north to Beijing (today’s capital of China), founding what is known as the “School of Polar Astrology of the North”. Another branch went to the city of Fu Zou, founding the “School of the South”. This school later migrated to Taiwan, and the School of the North practically disappeared. The other branch reached Hong Kong, but only a few scripts have survived and presently there is a small number of practitioners of these teachings.

Polar Astrology was a closed tradition. Traditionally, this knowledge was only passed on from Master to disciple, so as to establish a lineage. There is a small difference between the School of the North and of the South but essentially, the Chinese Polar Astrology is seen as one.

This was later passed onto Master Bai Yu Chan, who perfected the technique into a process that is still used today. All the great masters of Zi Wei are disciples of an elite lineage, who developed and had access to this unique knowledge.