Re: Hakka language,culture,survival,Jews

[teoh@cs.utk.edu]

>From jow@mda.com.au Sun Dec 15 21:20:09 1996
Subject: Re: Hakka language,culture,survival,Jews 

[moderator:  Chhiang ki yit fun to fhakka@asiawind.com.  Tou chhia!]

>>From Greg.Zeng@hotlinebbs.com.au Fri Dec 13 00:47:51 1996
>Subject: Re: Hakka language,culture,survival,Jews
>
 ....
>> 
>> This raises an interesting point. But what distinguishes Hakka "values" from
>> Chinese or Han "values" (or Confucian values)? Hakkaness has so far been
  .....
>> it is not so obvious with Hakka culture. Hakka culture is Han culture,
>> isn't it? Even Hakka cuisine is unmistakeably southern Chinese.
>
>Are you saying that the Han culture is southern Chinese?  As I
>understand it, both Han and Hakka culture are more Northern, rather than
>southern.  The cuisine of the southern Chinese is able to take advantage
>of strong trade routes with the spice-growng region in the topical areas
>of Asia.  My memories of my childhood Hakka food was not spice-enriched,
>but more suited to quick preparation times that were feature of the
>nomadic, bandit-harrassed Hakkas.
>

No, I am not saying that Han culture is southern Chinese. I wanted to know
what people think on what actually constitutes a "Hakka culture". My 
statement that Hakka food is similar to other Southern Chinese food is
based on my observation that, among other things, rice is the staple diet,
wok is used for quick preparation and, apart from the extensive use of 
preserved ingredients, it is somewhat similar to Cantonese cooking. 

I guess my understanding of the so-called Han culture is that Han culture
is superset of Peking, Hakka, Fujian, and Cantonese cultures - both Northern
and Southern Chinese.  

>There are Hakka characteristics that will one day become integrated into
>the international personality, and therefore no longer be Hakka.  For
>example, the strength and the autonomy of Hakka women.  I was written up

While the autonomy enjoyed by the Hakka women is a trait of the Hakka 
culture, I find it difficult to accept this as a definitive identification
of the "Hakka culture". This kind of autonomy was also enjoyed by the 
Acehnese women in Sumatra island of Indonesia for centuries. The Acehnese
are devout Moeslims. Subjugation of women, however, has never been as strong
as in Arabia. In fact, the Acehnese went to several wars against the Dutch 
led by women.

I suspect Hakka culture is a part of all-encompassing Han culture. In 
identifying our Hakka culture, we must first define what distinguishes
Hakka culture from other Han cultures. The emancipation of women is 
perhaps one example you could use - in the context of the more dominant
Han culture. 

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