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Awaiting the Venerable Master and Clan Chief
2026-06-04
Awaiting the Venerable Master and Clan Chief
“Once a teacher, always a father”—respecting teachers and elders has long been one of the cherished traditional virtues of the common people. For thousands of years, educators have enjoyed widespread respect and affection. In earlier times, during every festival, regardless of wealth or poverty, every household would present the teacher with a gift. Whenever there was an occasion in a family, the teacher was invariably invited as a most honored guest. When the teacher returned home to visit relatives, the school’s administrative committee would dispatch someone to escort him home on a donkey. After the New Year and at the start of the new term, students’ parents would invite the teacher to their homes for a meal, offering four dishes, a pot of wine, and dumplings as a gesture of hospitality. With larger classes, the teacher need not cook at all during the first month of the lunar year.
The people of Hongtong are martial‑oriented, and seeking a master to learn martial arts is a major social custom. “Hongtong Tongbei Quan” is a distinctive martial art renowned both at home and abroad. It seamlessly integrates offense and defense, offering a complete repertoire of bare‑handed forms and weapon routines. Practitioners cultivate the external aspects—tendons, bones, and skin—while nurturing the internal—essence, qi, and spirit—making it an essential discipline for strengthening the body and defending against opponents. Since its rise in the mid‑Qing period, it has enjoyed widespread popularity. Many martial masters were hired by merchants as escorts or by affluent families as instructors to safeguard their homes and estates. During the agricultural off‑season, “boxing schools” sprang up across the land, bustling with eager students. To enter the art, one must first be recommended by a fellow disciple, present a “Letter of Apprenticeship” to formally become a student, and host a banquet to honor the school’s masters and senior mentors, paying respects to one’s senior brothers. The school’s rules are exceedingly strict: even the slightest lapse in moral conduct can result in expulsion.
Those who study claywork, carpentry, blacksmithing, and other crafts must observe the guild’s regulations by performing the apprenticeship ceremony and hosting a banquet to honor their master’s senior colleagues. When the master grows old and loses the ability to work, and has no children or grandchildren to rely on, the apprentice is obligated to take responsibility for supporting the master and, on festivals and special occasions, presents gifts to show respect.
A family has a clan leader, determined by seniority and age, commonly referred to as… “The Elder.” In former times, the elder held a distinguished position within the clan; whether dealing with matters of clan affairs or settling family disputes, all depended on their leadership. Whenever a family matter required the elder’s intervention, a banquet would invariably be hosted in their honor. The feast typically consisted of four dishes and eight bowls, accompanied by a soup‑noodle course (seasoned to perfection) and round steamed buns, symbolizing harmony among neighbors and unity among the eight households—thus ensuring that conflicts were resolved amicably and completely. At major family events such as weddings or funerals, the elder was invited to preside, leading rites like incense offering and memorial ceremonies. During banquets, the elder always took the place of honor at the head of the table.
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