Hakka Culture


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OVERVIEW OF THE HAKKA CULTURE

The Hakka people are a group of North Chinese who migrated to South China, especially Kwangtung and Fukien provinces, during the fall of the Southern Sung dynasty in the 1270s. Their origins remain obscure, but the people who became the Hakka are thought to have lived originally in Honan and Shansi provinces in the Huang Ho(Yellow River) valley. They moved southward in two large migrations, one in the early 4th century and another in the late 9th century, perhaps to escape warfare or the domination of Inner Asian tribesmen. Their final migration in the 13th century took them farther south to their present areas of concentration. The name Hakka means guest people which the northerners were called to distinguish them from the natives.

Having settled in South China in their own communities, the Hakka never became fully assimilated into the native population. Unlike most other Chinese before the 20th century, they never allowed their women to bind their feet, and they speak a language that has affinities with both Cantonese, the language of the people of Guongdong province, and Mandarin, the language of much of northern and central China.

Extremely hardworking agriculturists, the Hakka are very clannish. During the 18th and 19th centuries, when conditions in South China became very bad and land quite scarce, the Hakka often were involved in land feuds with the natives. The Taiping Rebellion(1850-65), which is said to have resulted in the death of more than 20,000,000 people and completely shattered South China, initially grew out of these local conflicts. Although the natives eventually joined the revolt, Taiping leadership was mainly of Hakka origin.

After the rebellion, the Hakka continued to be involved in little skirmishes with their neighbours, as a result of which many have migrated to other areas. Today many Hakka live in such widely scattered locations in the world as Austria, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Germany, India, Canada, and Jamaica. In South China they continue to dwell mainly in less fertile upland areas.
(Source: Encyclopedia Britannica under Hakka)

For more on Hakka culture there are some great World Wide Web sites:

S.L.Lee has compiled a great resource of info covering topics such as

Tom Liew has a couple of nice round building pictures.

Hakka Chinese Away from Home Page