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The Hakka Journey: From Guest to HomeBy Erica Green / Photos by Wang Neng-yu

←Believe it or not, former Mayor Ma Ying-jeou is a descendant of Hakka, too.

‧There are approximately 90-100 million Hakka people, spread across 100 countries

‧Significant population areas are: Guangdong and Fujian (China), Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malays ia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Canada, Australia, and the U.S.

‧Taiwan is said to be divided into 4 general groups: Hoklo (Taiwanese), Hakka, Mainlanders, and Aboriginals

‧The Hakka make up 15% of Taiwan’s population, the third-largest group, 3 million people

‧Former Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou is Hakka

Facts

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D oes the word ‘Hakka’ ring familiar to you? You may remember this word from a

travel book, a tourist place you visited, or a Taiwanese friend. Why should this word ring out like ‘wardrobe malfunction?’ It is a bit telling of our times that we know what happened between Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl in 2004, but most people are not too sure about a group of people who have been defined for over 1,700 years. Let's face it, the average person on the street will say “Hakka-what?”

Where Did the Hakka Come From?

Globalization is said to be breaking down cultural labels, and instead we are defined by what defines us all: age, sex, occupation, education, marital status, income, etc. How does one hold onto tradition, as the world redefines identity? The Hakka people of Taiwan are determined to find ways.

Hakka nationalism is fervent, and grew ironically from a fragmented past. Descendants have been traced back 2,700

years to north China’s Shanxi and Henan provinces. Migration was prevalent due to periods of turmoil. There are a total of five mass migrations documented, Hakka making their way to Guangdong and Fujian provinces in the south over a millennium.

At the end of the Ming dynasty and beginning of the Qing (1644~1911), many Hakka left mainland China for Taiwan. One reason was to escape bureaucratic oppression. Another was specifically anti-Qing; the Qing court banished the coastal dwellers of southern China to infertile inland areas in an attempt to eliminate support for any remaining Ming threat. The third was to search of better lands; in their mass migrations the Hakka had been forced by their more numerous Han Chinese brethren to take up inferior lands in remote areas, especially in mountain regions. In many cases the latter group had arrived earlier; in Guangdong these people called themselves the “Punti,” meaning “original-land” people, and called the latecomers “Hakka,” meaning “guest” people, as a pejorative. Many battles resulted, the outnumbered Hakka rarely winning.

The same scenario played itself out when the Hakka emigrated to Taiwan. They moved into the hills to avoid further persecution. Their mainland experience made them adept at upland farming, mining, timber harvesting, camphor cultivating, and other traditional mountain-related industries.

The Hakka lineage is not definitive due to migrations in China and to other parts of the world, but geneological research includes them with the Han Chinese that makes up most of China's population. Today 60% of the world’s Hakka population l i ve i n Guangdong and 95% have lineage from this province.

Hakka Culture: A Look Back, A Gaze Forward

Men and WomenTraditionally, Hakka women were

the backbone of societal stability as they took a larger share of the farming chores. As a consequence footbinding was not practiced. Dress clearly reflected the lifestyle of both men and women, hardworking, simple, conservative, and unadorned. Men often went to war or studied for public service. Due to the emphasis on education, there have been many Hakka people who have become successful through education; for example, in Meinong town in Taiwan's Kaohsiung County, it is said that there is an unusual concentration of PhD graduates due to the high concentration of Hakka people.

Hakka, as in other cultures, honor age-old marriage customs. One wedding ritual is to place a rooster and hen under the wedding bed with hopes that an egg will

←The history of Hakka culture can be traced back 2,700 years to north China’s Shanxi and Henan provinces.

Hakka people love simple and unadorned clothing to resemble their lifestyle.

‧The single largest Hakka translated book is the New Testament and Psalms, although most Hakka are not Christian, rather Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist

Famous People of Hakka Descent

‧Adrienne Clarkson, Canada’s Governor-General 1999-2005

‧Jimmy Choo of ‘Jimmy Choo’ Shoes ‧Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong and

Hollywood actor ‧Lin Cho-liang, an international

violinist from Taiwan‧S.H.E., Taiwanese female pop group ‧Lee Teng-hui, former ROC President

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be created for prosperity. The two birds are then prepared for dinner using a 9-foot ribbon, as the Chinese pronunciation for “9” (jio) and “forever” (jiu) are similar. When a Hakka woman is pregnant, moving things are not allowed in the bedroom, to avoid angering the Goddess of the Womb, Taishen.

Roles were ‘dualistic’ and clearly defined during the old days. Today, the gender gap is shrinking, and roles are being revised.

Traditional HousingOne form of traditional housing is

called the tu-lou (earthen structure), still extant in China’s Fujian and Guangdong province. They are circular in shape, with concentric rings moving inward from the outside. Each ring has a series of rooms for different purposes such as living, livestock, food storage, and weapons. The development of this shape came about during the time of the Punti wars in the 17th century, as a defense structure. The outer wall is 1m or more in thickness and the first floor has no windows. In the 1980’s the CIA was interested in circular structures which resembled nuclear reactors. CIA representatives traveled to Fujian, where ancient Hakka dwellings awaited them.

The Hakka culture is very much influenced by nature, family life, and celebration. Festivals, singers, musicians, storytellers, artists, and poets continue to play key social roles today, the mainstay for sustainable culture. Artistic themes emerge from folktales, daily life, nature, and agricultural working-class issues. Here is a taste of what Hakka art has to offer.

FestivalsA good festival is an excellent way to

open the way for cultural understanding and exploration. The A-Ha Hakka Arts Festival (A-Ha 客家藝術節), (02) 2702-5131 or visit the Web site at www.mna.com.tw, is staged around the island in November 2006. The Tung Blossom Festival (客家桐花祭) started in 2002 and runs from mid-April to mid-May in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, and Taipei counties/

cities. Here you will find the Hakka staples of ecology, art, music, and food. Perhaps the key traditional festival in Taiwan—which is Taiwan-Hakka specific--is the Yimin Festival (客家義民節) held at the beginning of August by the city. This is an important gathering of people, spirits, and souls of those who lost their lives in ‘the most destructive rebellion in Taiwan’s history,’ along with the souls of other Hakka heroes who

have sacrificed themselves defending their communities. The Lin Shuang-wen Rebellion of 1786 was an anti-Qing uprising led by the Heaven and Earth secret society. Lin was the main leader of the rebellion, which many loyalist Hakka died suppressing. The Hakka supported the Qing mainly because the rebel forces came from a rival group, its roots in Fujian’s Zhangzhou prefecture. Most Hakka had emigrated from northeast Guangdong province. After almost two years Lin was killed and his family exiled.

Later in November, the Taipei’s Hakka Affairs Commission brings a fun and linguistic event for the kids where

culture and language will be nurtured via workshops and interactive activities.

OperaHakka Opera started around the 17th

century. Hakka Opera consists of the Three Character Opera – 2 women (upper and lower class) and a clown archetype. Tea Basket Opera is another distinct type. Performers throw tea baskets into the audience, who place personal items in

them; spontaneous songs are then created using these objects. The tea-picking life of the mountains is the central theme. A great way to get to feel at ease with Hakka Opera is to look into its history at the Northern Taipei Hakka Culture Hall (also known as Taipei Opera and Music Hall) Opening Hours: Tue to Fri: 9:00~21:00, Sat and Sun: 09:00~17:00. Closed: Monday and National holidays. Address: No. 161 Ming-De Road, Pei-To, Taipei. Telephone: 02-2825-0034 Fax: 02-2825-0454. Get off at: Mingde MRT Station.

Folk MusicTraditional folk music started with

humming. Daily life rhythms such as boat sculling, wood chopping, or grain-

Tu-lou (earthen structure) is one of the traditional housing structures for Hakka culture and connected in circular shape.

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pole pounding were added. The purpose was to express emotion, communicate with other mountain-dwellers, or serve as a motivational tool. The songs have been classified into 3 major melodies. Much-loved song titles include Rainy Night Flower, Watch the Spring Wind, and Four Seasons of Red – all rooted in nature.

Music is in the blood of the Hakka, so much so that it is now a medium to give a voice to the entire plight of sustainability.

‘Protest Singer’ Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥) is considered the only Hakka musician in Taiwan to be supporting himself through voicing social issues lyrically.

Canadian singer Matthew Lien promotes cross-cultural issue awareness. He has a list of accolades too numerous to list here; see www.matthewlien.com to see his influence in Taipei, Taiwan, and the world over.

Says Lien: “I have been deeply inspired by the culture and music of the

Hakka people, as well as the devotion of many Hakka musicians and leaders to raise awareness of, and appreciation for, their music and culture. The folk style of their music, which reflects a history of challenges and relocations, strikes a chord with me.” His music has gone multi-platinum, which proves that music inspired from the earth has global resonance.

“If we hope to preserve this earth and its true wealth - which lies within the songs, legends and traditions of our

←“Hakka Opera is one entertaining performance where tea-picking life is usually being played as the centeral theme.

←Music is definitely in the blood of Hakka. Look at how concentrated these naïve children perform on the stage.

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earth's age-old cultures -- the key will most certainly be found within those very cultures which place a premium on

respect for life.”

ArtistsHakka art is largely themed in

traditional realist works, depicting farm scenes, crafts, quiet dwellings, sowing, weaving, pounding grain, eating, and folktale depictions. Some paintings are abstract, very much like early post-modern works of Pissarro and Cezanne. The Taipei Hakka Art and Culture Center (臺北客家文化藝廊 12F., No.1, Shihfu Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Tel: 02-2757-4503 # 10).

The Hakka and a People’s Future In Taiwan

Today, the Hakka are prevalent in all aspects of society, from artists to politicians to entrepreneurs and writers. Although well-established in society, there is a larger percentage who still farm, and many who do not wish to forget their roots. Taiwan especially wants to be known having the Hakka Hub of the world. In this effort, there are several firsts to be mentioned. The first International Conference for Hakka Studies was held in Taipei, October 2006. The Council of Hakka Affairs is the first Cabinet-level council in the world dedicated solely to Hakkanese issues such as dialect preservation and academic studies. The first college of its kind in the world, one devoted to Hakka studies, National Central University’s College of Hakka Studies was developed in 2003.

Taipei is seeking to be the core of Hakka development. The Taipei Hakka Affairs Commission is the first municipal-level body in the world dedicated solely to Hakkanese issues and has compiled the

first Hakkanese vocabulary dictionary.The city has hosted the World Hakka Convention three years running, with attendance upwards of 15,000 and featuring performances and seminars on prominent issues. The city's also home to various Hakka language centers, which flourished during the 2004 “Year of Revitalizing Hakka Language.” This is to combat an estimated language-ability disappearance of 5% each year. In 2005 the “Hakka Reading Year” was declared. The Hakka Literature Activity Center (臺北市客家藝文活動中心:Tel: 02-2709-3234) in Da-An houses around 6,000 books, which would certainly take a long time to digest.

The Hakka Cultural and Industrial Design Development Center is following the Hakka entrepreneurial spirit by

producing Hakka-awareness products and selling them nationally.

Home Sweet HomeIn a world that wants and

gets shock value, it’s hard to sort through the distraction. Caught

between a living purgatory of global homogenization and tradition,

like so many minority groups, where is the middle ground? Where is ‘home?’ The answer is uncertain, the world a busy haze of movement, the questions deafening…or you may think of the sun shining on rice fields on the top of a mountain, wind swaying blades of grass in unison, the sound of feet stamping the dirt, and the humming of words speaking of the coming rain.

Related Websiteswww.hakka.taipei.gov.twwww.hakka.gov.twwww.asiawind.com/hakka/www.worldhakka.orghttp://english.taipei.gov.tw/hakka/index.jspwww.taipeitravel.netTime Line: http://www.taiwanease.com/theknowledge/index.php?title=The_Knowledge:History/all

Many of Hakka descendants chose to live their life the traditional way in the farm to not forget about their roots.

Come visit the Taipei Hakka Culture Hall to enjoy a pleasant and soothing musical performance at your spare time.