Around the year 1600, it was illegal to leave mainland China. Some Hakka people broke the law, though, and settled in Taiwan because life in the mountains of Guangdong province was hard. Poor soil and a growing population inspired adventurous Hakkas to sail across the Taiwan Straits and take their chances in a new land. They found rich soil, beautiful scenery, and freedom. Many went back to get their relatives and friends.
The Hakka had actually begun a long series of migrations in the 4th century, when they left the Yellow River area to escape invasions and chaotic wars. Wherever they went, they held on to their own customs and dialect. They became known as the Hakkas, which means "Guest People," because they did not assimilate with local populations. The Hakka, however, call themselves "Ngai," which means "me."
Around the end of the Ming dynasty (1368-1643), another ethnic group just to the north of the Hakka areas was also experiencing hard times. Adventurous immigrants from southern Fujian province (Hoklos) themselves began slipping across the Taiwan Straits to start a new life. At first, the two groups got along well together in Taiwan.
In the 1720s, Hakka and Hoklo settlers rose up together against the Ching dynasty (1644-1911). As they were on the point of victory, however, the Hoklo leader announced that he would be king of Taiwan. The Hakkas balked and there was a split. The outnumbered Hakkas sided with the Ching dynasty to defeat Taiwan's first independence movement. Blood was spilled on both sides, and bad feelings between Hakkas and Holkos lasted for more than a century. The Ching dynasty came to see the Hakkas as allies, however, and allowed them to move into some prime aboriginal lands.
Early Settlement of Meinung
In 1736, some Hakkas settled in Meinung (美濃), Kaohsiung county, a lovely mountain valley with deep, rich soil and some small rivers. To take possession of the land, they drove the aboriginal inhabitants into nearby mountains. The aborigines naturally fought back; later, however, peace was made and the Hakkas and aborigines lived next to each other on friendly terms.
To protect against attacks, however, Hakkas built U-shaped Fofong (clan) houses. The ancestral temple in the back was always the tallest part of the structure, and there was only one entrance to such a complex.
Fofong houses, in good repair, still line Poai Street (博愛街) and Yungan Road (永安路) in Meinung. Several generations of a family inhabit each compound. At the end of Yungan Road is a curious pavilion, built in 1769, where paper on which words were written was once burned out of respect for language and culture. Though a lot of newspapers end up in the garbage these days, some people still burn them at the "Respect Words Pavilion" (敬字亭). Although this custom was once common throughout China, in Taiwan only the Hakkas kept it up.
Hakkas say "Knowledge is better than money." Even in the old days, women often learned to read and basic literacy was high among farmers. Today, in the small town of Meinung (population around 50,000), there are over 300 people with advanced university degrees. Respect for culture seems especially strong at the Aihsiang Association, which promotes Hakka and village life. The association offers tours of the town in English, but you have to call ahead at (07) 681-0371 or fax (07) 681-0201.
Northern Hakkas
The mountains of Miaoli county, about a 2-hour drive south of Taipei, were settled by the Hakka in 1737. Their new homeland reminded the Hakka settlers of Guangdong's rugged hills--they felt at home because the hills provided isolation and protection. Although the county is mountainous, settlers worked hard to cultivate the few areas suitable for farming. Thrift, diligence, and love for the land are Hakka traits still obvious in the country people of Miaoli.
Hakka women, even in ancient China, never bound their feet; they were needed to work the fields, and they also had to be able to flee danger. Because they worked alongside men, their status was higher than that of most Chinese women. Today it is mostly Hakka women who pick the sweet Pengfeng Oolong or Oriental Beauty Tea (椪風茶) for which Miaoli is famous. This visible participation continues to give them economic power in the community.
Places of Interest
Two places to visit in Miaoli county are the Huatao Kiln (華陶窯) and the Kuangsen Village of wood carvers in Sanyi (三義廣聲新城 ). At Huatao, local clay is worked into organic designs and wood-fired. Tours (available only in Chinese) allow visitors to make their own pottery, which is fired and sent to them later. A Hakka lunch is served. An individual ticket costs NT$683 and includes lunch and tax. Group discounts are available. For more information call (037) 743-611 or fax (037) 743-744.
The wood carvers at Sanyi are among Taiwan's best, and mostly use the island's camphor wood. Temple gods, folk scenes, dragons, and even abstract sculptures are turned out in open workshops. There are some English speakers at the village, but it's good to have an interpreter. Don't miss the Wood Carving Museum (木雕博物館), which can be contacted at (037) 876-009.
Hsinchu county is 85% Hakka, and large celebrations at the famous Yimin Temple (義民廟), built in 1788, draw thousands of worshipers. On festival days, incense is offered to ancestors who have died defending the community. Besides ancestors, the main object of worship at the temple is "Tien Kung" which roughly translates as Lord of Heaven, or the Supreme Being.
North of Hsinchu is Taoyuan county, also with a large Hakka population. Hakka-style restaurants in communities like Chungli are the only evidence a tourist might find, however. Taoyuan has long been an industrial suburb of Taipei, and little remains here of the rural Hakka lifestyle.
Hakka Life in Taipei
There are approximately 400,000 Hakkas in the Taipei area. Today, most Hakkas speak both Mandarin and Taiwanese as well as their own language. But when they introduce themselves as being from Miaoli, Hsinchu, or Meinung, other Hakkas will say "Oh, are you Hakka?" and will lapse into their mother tongue.
"You can sell your ancestors' rice field but you cannot forget their language," runs a Hakka saying. These days, however, some of the younger generation speak more Taiwanese (Hoklo) than Hakka. Will intermarriage with outsiders (unheard of a century ago but common today) and media pressure (almost all TV and radio broadcasts use either Mandarin or Taiwanese) erode the language? To encourage the use of the Hakka language, a Hakka radio station and magazine have been developed.
Hakka opera, once a modest entertainment based upon field songs and light-hearted skits, is now developing into a major stage drama. Tseng Jung-hsing (鄭榮興) directs the Miaoli Tea Picking Opera Troupe. He will also be the first director of the Hakka Opera Department at the Fuhsing Dramatic Arts Academy when it opens in 1997. He speaks some English and is a good person to contact about Hakka music, if you can get hold of him. Try calling (02) 796-2666, ext. 450 or fax (02) 790-1462.
Hakka people have lived in Taiwan for 400 years. Most of them think of Taiwan as their homeland now, and hope to wander no more. At the same time, the Hakka must also struggle to keep their unique spirit, and develop a modern Hakka culture.
Copyright 1995 Vision International Publishing Co.