The Hakka Journey: culture From Guest to Home The Hakka Journey: From Guest to Home By Erica Green / Photos by Wang Neng-yu Discover

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

Facts

‧There are approximately 90-100 million , spread across 100 countries ‧Significant population areas are: and (), , , , , , , 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 The Hakka Journey: From Guest to Home culture

oes the word ‘Hakka’ ring years to north China’s and : A Look familiar to you? You may provinces. Migration was prevalent due Back, A Gaze Forward D remember this word from a to periods of turmoil. There are a total travel book, a tourist place you visited, or of five mass migrations documented, Men and Women a Taiwanese friend. Why should this word Hakka making their way to Guangdong Traditionally, Hakka women were ring out like ‘wardrobe malfunction?’ and Fujian provinces in the south over a the backbone of societal stability as It is a bit telling of our times that we millennium. they took a larger share of the farming know what happened between Justin At the end of the and chores. As a consequence footbinding Timberlake and Janet Jackson at the beginning of the Qing (1644~1911), many was not practiced. Dress clearly reflected Super Bowl in 2004, but most people are Hakka left for Taiwan. the lifestyle of both men and women, not too sure about a group of people who One reason was to escape bureaucratic hardworking, simple, conservative, and have been defined for over 1,700 years. oppression. Another was specifically anti- unadorned. Men often went to war or Let's face it, the average person on the Qing; the Qing court banished the coastal studied for public service. Due to the street will say “Hakka-what?” dwellers of southern China to infertile emphasis on education, there have been inland areas in an attempt to eliminate many Hakka people who have become support for any remaining Ming threat. successful through education; for Where Did the Hakka The third was to search of better lands; example, in Meinong town in Taiwan's Come From? in their mass migrations the Hakka had County, it is said that there Globalization is said to be breaking been forced by their more numerous Han is an unusual concentration of PhD down cultural labels, and instead we Chinese brethren to take up inferior lands graduates due to the high concentration are defined by what defines us all: age, in remote areas, especially in mountain of Hakka people. sex, occupation, education, marital regions. In many cases the latter group Hakka, as in other cultures, honor age- status, income, etc. How does one hold had arrived earlier; in Guangdong these old marriage customs. One wedding ritual onto tradition, as the world redefines people called themselves the “,” is to place a rooster and hen under the identity? The Hakka people of Taiwan meaning “original-land” people, and wedding bed with hopes that an egg will Discover Taipei called the latecomers “Hakka,” are determined to find ways. 35 Hakka nationalism is fervent, and meaning “guest” people, as grew ironically from a fragmented past. a pejorative. Many battles Descendants have been traced back 2,700 resulted, the outnumbered Hakka rarely winning. The same scenario played itself out when the Hakka ←The history of Hakka culture can be traced back 2,700 years to north China’s Shanxi and Henan emigrated to Taiwan. They provinces. moved into the hills to avoid further persecution. Their mainland experience made them adept at upland farming, mining, timber harvesting, ‧The single largest Hakka translated camphor cultivating, and other book is the New Testament and traditional mountain-related Psalms, although most Hakka are not Christian, rather Confucian, industries. Daoist, and Buddhist The Hakka lineage is not definitive due to migrations in Famous People of China and to other parts of the Hakka Descent world, but geneological research includes them with the Han ‧, Canada’s Chinese that makes up most of Governor-General 1999-2005 China's population. Today 60% ‧ of ‘Jimmy Choo’ Shoes ‧Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong and of the world’s Hakka population Hollywood actor live in Guangdong and ‧ Cho-liang, an international 95% have lineage from this violinist from Taiwan province. ‧S.H.E., Taiwanese female pop group Hakka people love simple and unadorned clothing to resemble ‧Lee Teng-hui, former ROC President their lifestyle. The Hakka Journey: culture From Guest to Home

be created for prosperity. The two birds cities. Here you will find the Hakka culture and language will be nurtured via are then prepared for dinner using a 9-foot staples of ecology, art, music, and food. workshops and interactive activities. ribbon, as the Chinese pronunciation for Perhaps the key traditional festival Opera “9” (jio) and “forever” (jiu) are similar. in Taiwan—which is Taiwan-Hakka started around the 17th When a Hakka woman is pregnant, specific--is the Yimin Festival (客家義民 century. Hakka Opera consists of the moving things are not allowed in the 節) held at the beginning of August by bedroom, to avoid angering the Goddess the city. This is an important gathering Three Character Opera – 2 women (upper of the Womb, Taishen. of people, spirits, and souls of those who and lower class) and a clown archetype. Roles were ‘dualistic’ and clearly lost their lives in ‘the most destructive Tea Basket Opera is another distinct type. defined during the old days. Today, the rebellion in Taiwan’s history,’ along with Performers throw tea baskets into the gender gap is shrinking, and roles are the souls of other Hakka heroes who audience, who place personal items in being revised.

Traditional Housing One 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 Discover Taipei the 17th century, as a defense structure. 36 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, Tu-lou (earthen structure) is one of the traditional housing structures for Hakka culture and connected storytellers, artists, and poets continue to in circular shape. play key social roles today, the mainstay have sacrificed themselves defending them; spontaneous songs are then created for sustainable culture. Artistic themes their communities. The Lin Shuang- using these objects. The tea-picking life of emerge from folktales, daily life, nature, wen Rebellion of 1786 was an anti-Qing the mountains is the central theme. A great and agricultural working-class issues. Here uprising led by the Heaven and Earth way to get to feel at ease with Hakka Opera is a taste of what Hakka art has to offer. secret society. Lin was the main leader of is to look into its history at the Northern Festivals the rebellion, which many loyalist Hakka Taipei Hakka Culture Hall (also known A good festival is an excellent way to died suppressing. The Hakka supported as Taipei Opera and Music Hall) Opening open the way for cultural understanding the Qing mainly because the rebel forces Hours: Tue to Fri: 9:00~21:00, Sat and and exploration. The A-Ha Hakka came from a rival group, its roots in Sun: 09:00~17:00. Closed: Monday and Arts Festival (A-Ha 客家藝術節), (02) Fujian’s prefecture. Most National holidays. Address: No. 161 2702-5131 or visit the Web site at Hakka had emigrated from northeast Ming-De Road, Pei-To, Taipei. Telephone: www.mna.com.tw, is staged around the Guangdong province. After almost two 02-2825-0034 Fax: 02-2825-0454. Get off island in November 2006. The Tung years Lin was killed and his family at: Mingde MRT Station. exiled. Blossom Festival (客家桐花祭) started in 2002 and runs from mid-April to Later in November, the Taipei’s Traditional folk music started with mid-May in Taoyuan, , , Hakka Affairs Commission brings a fun humming. Daily life rhythms such as , Nantou, and Taipei counties/ and linguistic event for the kids where boat sculling, wood chopping, or grain- The Hakka Journey: From Guest to Home culture

←“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. Discover Taipei

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pole pounding were added. The purpose ‘Protest Singer’ Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥) Hakka people, as well as the devotion of was to express emotion, communicate is considered the only Hakka musician in many Hakka musicians and leaders to with other mountain-dwellers, or serve as Taiwan to be supporting himself through raise awareness of, and appreciation for, a motivational tool. The songs have been voicing social issues lyrically. their music and culture. The folk style of classified into 3 major melodies. Much- Canadian singer Matthew Lien their music, which reflects a history of loved song titles include Rainy Night promotes cross-cultural issue awareness. challenges and relocations, strikes a chord Flower, Watch the Spring Wind, and He has a list of accolades too numerous with me.” His music has gone multi- Four Seasons of Red – all rooted in to list here; see www.matthewlien.com to platinum, which proves that music inspired nature. see his influence in Taipei, Taiwan, and from the earth has global resonance. Music is in the blood of the Hakka, so the world over. “If we hope to preserve this earth much so that it is now a medium to give a Says Lien: “I have been deeply and its true wealth - which lies within voice to the entire plight of sustainability. inspired by the culture and music of the the songs, legends and traditions of our The Hakka Journey: culture From Guest to Home

Many of Hakka descendants chose to live their producing Hakka-awareness products life the traditional way in the farm to not forget about their roots. and selling them nationally.

Home Sweet Home In a world that wants and gets shock value, it’s hard to sort through the distraction. Caught between a living purgatory of earth's age-old cultures -- the key will global homogenization and tradition, most certainly be found within those like so many minority groups, where is very cultures which place a premium on the middle ground? Where is ‘home?’ respect for life.” first Hakkanese vocabulary dictionary. The answer is uncertain, the world a Artists The city has hosted the World Hakka busy haze of movement, the questions Hakka art is largely themed in Convention three years running, with deafening…or you may think of the traditional realist works, depicting farm attendance upwards of 15,000 and sun shining on rice fields on the top of a scenes, crafts, quiet dwellings, sowing, featuring performances and seminars on mountain, wind swaying blades of grass weaving, pounding grain, eating, and prominent issues. The city's also home to in unison, the sound of feet stamping the folktale depictions. Some paintings various Hakka language centers, which dirt, and the humming of words speaking are abstract, very much like early post- flourished during the 2004 “Year of of the coming rain. modern works of Pissarro and Cezanne. Revitalizing Hakka Language.” This is

The Taipei Hakka Art and Culture Center to combat an estimated language-ability (臺北客家文化藝廊 12F., No.1, Shihfu disappearance of 5% each year. In 2005 Related Websites Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Tel: the “Hakka Reading Year” was declared. www.hakka.taipei.gov.tw 02-2757-4503 # 10). The Hakka Literature Activity Center (臺北 www.hakka.gov.tw Discover Taipei 市客家藝文活動中心:Tel: 02-2709-3234) in www.asiawind.com/hakka/ www.worldhakka.org 38 Da-An houses around 6,000 books, which The Hakka and a People’s http://english.taipei.gov.tw/hakka/index.jsp Future In Taiwan would certainly take a long time to digest. The Hakka Cultural and Industrial www.taipeitravel.net Today, the Hakka are prevalent in Design Development Center is following Time Line: all aspects of society, from artists to the Hakka entrepreneurial spirit by http://www.taiwanease.com/theknowledge/ politicians to entrepreneurs and writers. index.php?title=The_Knowledge:History/all Although well-established in society, there is a larger percentage who still farm, and many who do not wish to forget Come visit the Taipei Hakka Culture Hall to enjoy a pleasant and soothing their roots. Taiwan especially wants to musical performance at your be known having the Hakka Hub of the spare time. 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