Dahongdao Brand Management chairman and feng shui master Jiang Anxiang holds the first public apprentice recruitment ceremony in Dongguan, Guangdong province

DONGGUAN, China, Dec. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 19, 2018, Jiang Anxiang, the 15th official heir of the Chinese aristocratic family known for their achievements in feng shui, held the first public apprentice recruitment ceremony in Yinxian Shanzhuang, a popular tourism destination in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China. During the ceremony, 49 followers formally became Mr. Jiang's apprentices by acknowledging him as their master. They included Xiao Jianfeng, Zou Wanji, Tian Jingrong, Wen Yulin, Cai Rongcheng, Zhao Shumiao and Sun Jianming.

Jiang Anxiang, born in Jingzhou, Hubei province, is the grandson of the contemporary feng shui master Jiang Senyuan, a man who has been highly recognized and respected in the world of oriental metaphysics. The ceremony marked the first time in 300 years that the aristocratic family has recruited apprentices in public.

Mr. Jiang, a knowledgeable feng shui master, has traveled around the world and given lectures at several universities. At the meeting on traditional Chinese culture held in March of this year as part of 2018 Diplomats Forum of China, an event that diplomats attended to better understand the country, Mr. Jiang, chairman of Dahongdao Brand Management Company Limited, received widespread acclaim from the participants who came from 24 countries and regions worldwide when he shared his insights into feng shui culture.

"The long and rich Chinese traditional culture is one of the most valuable treasures of mankind," said master Jiang. "As the member of the Chinese community and the inheritors of Chinese civilization, we take on the historical responsibility of passing on Chinese traditional culture and making sure that it remains part and parcel of all Chinese people, with the aim of fostering and enhancing Chinese civilization and promoting it to the world."

The 49 followers who formally acknowledged Jiang as their master are all key potential "successors" that Jiang has nurtured over recent years. Their average age is only 45, with two among them born after 1990. The strength of their moral character has been recognized by Jiang.

Forming a group in which we have placed our hope in the abilities to pass on Jiang's deep knowledge and understanding of feng shui, these apprentices will be taught by Jiang personally, covering every aspect of the discipline.

The ceremony, held according to the traditional etiquette of ancient China, was comprised of six elements: worshiping of the founder of feng shui, demonstration of obeisance to master Jiang, submission of applications by the apprentice, admonishment by the master, commitments from the apprentices, and a ceremonial slapping of the apprentices by the master with a bamboo discipline ruler. At the ceremony, master Jiang, the female apprentices dressed in qipaos and male apprentices dressed in suits worshiped the founder of feng shui. Then the apprentices served tea to Jiang while listening to his admonition. After the oral admonition, master Jiang took the ruler in his hand and cautioned his apprentices to, first and foremost, love their motherland, keep a clear mind, respect work and enjoy company; secondly, respect their ancestors and shoulder the burden of inheriting their skills; thirdly, show filial piety to their parents, respect their teachers, and be strict with themselves; fourthly, unite and help each other, cooperate with an open heart and know how to share; and finally, actively undertake their social responsibilities and make contributions to society.

Jiang said that he would continue the tradition of handing down the knowledge and skills of feng shui, taking the same responsibilities as all inheritors of Chinese intangible cultural heritage are supposed to in order to preserve the traditions. The only way to inherit his unique expertise is to publicly recruit apprentices and impart the expertise to them, and to do so in a way that disseminates the wisdom of feng shui to the general public.

SOURCE Dahongdao