Chapter 289 Honolulu
"Then I'd rather obey than be respectful." Zhang Xingjiu agreed after a brief thought. Situ Xianyi's Anliangtang is a branch of the Hongmen, and the Hongmen has a great influence in the United States, Southeast Asia and mainland China. If he can get the status of a guest official, it will be very beneficial.
Situ Xianyi was extremely surprised when he heard this, because Zhang Xingjiu was a famous scholar in Europe and the United States. It was definitely a great honor for Anliangtang that someone like him could look up to Anliangtang.
He quickly told Zhang Xingjiu the rules of Anliang Hall, and added, "Mr. Zhang is here as a guest official in Anliang Hall. You don't need to do anything. If there is anything that Anliang Hall can help with, just ask!"
"It's not just the Anliang Hall in the United States. All the Hongmen in the world are one family. No matter where Mr. Zhang goes, as long as there are Hongmen members in the local area, he can at least have some face if he reveals his identity."
The next day, Zhang Xingjiu went to give a speech at the University of San Francisco. Situ Xianyi took this opportunity to make preparations, inviting high-level Hongmen officials from the surrounding areas and setting up the incense hall. He was very busy.
In the evening, Zhang Xingjiu came back from the University of San Francisco. The ceremony was ready. For ordinary people to join the society, they had to open the altar, invite new members, recite and repeat the thirty-six oaths, and finally kill a rooster, drink blood wine and swear an oath with blood. Only in this way can they become official members of the Hongmen.
Zhang Xingjiu has a special status and is a guest official, so he naturally cannot be treated like this. Several elders in Anliang Hall respectfully invited Zhang Xingjiu into the hall, and Zhang Xingjiu lit a stick of incense for the ancestors worshipped by Hongmen.
Then Situ Xianyi read aloud Zhang Xingjiu's life experience, focusing on his contribution to the global Chinese people's access to university education. Finally, he announced that Anliangtang was grateful for Mr. Zhang's kindness, so he invited Mr. Zhang to join the association and serve as the master of the hall.
Hongmen is a general term, and below it are the Tiandihui founded by Cai Dezhong, the Sanhehui founded by Fang Dahong, the Paogehui founded by Hu Dedi, the Gelaohui founded by Ma Chaoxing, and the Xiaodaohui founded by Li Shikai.
This is the origin of the Five Ancestors of Hongmen: Five people wrote a poem separately, but no one knew about the Hongying on their bodies; this matter was passed on to all the brothers, and they met and reunited later.
There are mountains below the house. Most of the names of the Hongmen mountains correspond to various mountain ranges in the country, such as Nanhua Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain, Wutai Mountain, etc.
To give a similar example, each branch is like a major Taoist sect, such as Quanzhen, Zhengyi, etc., and each mountain is equivalent to the Taoist temples under Quanzhen and Zhengyi. They are all Hongmen in name, but in fact they are independent of each other.
The relationship between the various branches of the Hongmen is relatively loose. Although they are all members of the Hongmen in name, they are not subordinate to each other. When there is no conflict of interest, they give each other face and acknowledge each other's identity. Therefore, there is a saying that "the Hongmen is a large area, and the Qingbang is a line."
The interior of the mountain is mainly divided into eight inner and outer halls, which are responsible for managing various affairs. The position of the Holy Hall Master that Situ Xianyi gave to Zhang Xingjiu is the head of the eight inner halls. He usually does not participate in the affairs of the hall, but can be the main incense burner when the incense hall is opened. He is prepared for the most distinguished guests.
If not many people know about the title of Holy Hall Master or Incense Master, then if we use a common name, everyone should know it. The more widely known name for this position is White Fan. Sun Yat-sen held this position when he joined the Hongmen later. Now Zhang Xingjiu has held this position several years earlier than him.
When I return to China in the future, if I meet someone from the Hongmen, I will reveal my identity. Even if he is the leader of another Fangshan gang, I will have to treat him with courtesy, otherwise I will be considered not knowing the rules.
This is even more true when going to Southeast Asia. In Zhejiang, one has to be on guard against the Qing Gang and cannot reveal one's identity rashly. However, Southeast Asia is the base where the Hongmen has operated for many years. Any Chinese with a bit of status has a very close relationship with the Hongmen.
Even if Zhang Xingjiu was penniless, as long as he found someone from the Hongmen, he could easily get their help. Sun Yat-sen's ability to continuously raise funds and recruit personnel from overseas was also inseparable from the support of the Hongmen.
The United States also brought great convenience to Zhang Xingjiu. Anliangtang now has branches in dozens of cities in the United States, with a congregation of tens of thousands. Zhang Xingjiu left San Francisco and headed south along the west coast, continuing to visit various universities and research institutions for exchanges and speeches. Wherever he went, he was warmly received by the congregants of Anliangtang. These people helped him to do many things without him having to ask.
If they were ordinary guests, they would not have such a great honor. The main reason was that Zhang Xingjiu had found a way for Chinese Americans to achieve class advancement and give their children the opportunity to go to college. Therefore, these people were willing to serve Zhang Xingjiu. Even if they only helped a little, they would be happy for a long time.
Zhang Xingjiu also used their channels to write several letters and sent them back to China, giving them to his family, A Zhang, and relatives and friends in Shanghai, telling them about his current situation.
By the way, he also pointed out some opportunities for them to make money. If overseas Chinese can become stronger, they can give back to the country more effectively, which will be of great benefit to the future development of China.
After staying in California for a few days, visiting various branches of the University of California, as well as California Institute of Technology and other colleges and universities for exchanges and speeches, Zhang Xingjiu's trip to the United States came to an end.
This exchange was very successful. Not only did it greatly enhance our reputation among American scholars, but it also enabled us to reach cooperation with many universities in the areas of radio patents and Chinese students.
From a small perspective, it will give Zhang Xingjiu a few more chips in his future bid for the Nobel Prize; from a big perspective, it will also be of great benefit to enhancing the status of overseas Chinese and promoting the future development of China.
He originally planned to take the train back to New York, and then return to Paris from New York. Unexpectedly, before leaving, someone sent him an invitation through the Hongmen, inviting him to meet in Honolulu, which is the Chinese name for Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii.
Zhang Xingjiu didn't want to go at first, but when he heard the name of the visitor, he immediately changed his mind, "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."
The visitor immediately showed a happy expression and hurriedly bowed, saying, "If Master of the Holy Hall does not mind, let us handle the trivial matters of booking the boat tickets. We will go down to the hotel to wait for you tomorrow morning."
"Then I'll trouble you all." Zhang Xingjiu sent them to the door, then went back to the room and told Ma Zongwen the news. He didn't say he wanted to meet someone, but only said that he had heard that Hawaii had beautiful scenery, so since they were already here, they might as well go and take a look.
The next day, after breakfast, Zhang Xingjiu, escorted by members of the Hongmen, boarded a cruise ship bound for Honolulu. The journey from Los Angeles to Hawaii is about 4,000 kilometers, which is a bit far.
Fortunately, they were on a cruise ship specially designed to accommodate tourists. There was everything to eat, drink, and have fun on board, so they would not be bored along the way.
A few days later, the cruise ship arrived in Honolulu. When Zhang Xingjiu got off the ship, he recognized the person who had made an appointment with him at a glance.
(End of this chapter)
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