Master Wu Guoji, a third-generation inheritor of the Hong Lu Dragon & Lion Martial Art, screened 13 teenagers from hundreds of his students to be apprentices in the time-honored craft.

An inaugural ceremony for the apprenticeships was held in the presence of the century-old seal of the Hong Lu Dragon & Lion Marital Arts Studio, drumsticks of Wu's late instructor Wu Luyi, and revered natives from Zaobei and Jiechong villages in Qianshan of Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai.

Tea serving

The apprentices, aged between 8 and 27, have chosen “石” (shí, stone) as their generation name. Su Qizhi, the oldest, is a PhD studying in Spain, where he has established the first-ever traditional Chinese Hong Lu Dragon & Lion Troupe in the country. Liang Jiahui, the second oldest, heads the Sanzao Yuyue Dragon & Lion Troupe.

Hong Lu Dragon & Lion Martial Art flourished during the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and early Republic of China, but declined after 1949. In recent years, Wu has been promoting the dragon-lion martial arts in Zhuhai and has become the city's first national-level referee in the field.

Mentorship ceremony [Photos by Song Aihua / Zhuhai Daily]

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