Re: A brief of Hakka People

[teoh@cs.utk.edu]

>From ngchin@singnet.com.sg Mon Apr  7 11:06:26 1997
From: Elizabeth Chin <ngchin@singnet.com.sg>
Subject: Re: A brief of Hakka People 

I read this topic with interest as I am a 3rd generation Hakka from
Kuching,Sarawak, Malaysia although I am now residing in Singapore for the
past 15 years.

Over the years whilst in Singapore , I had tried conversing in Hakka with
the Hakka's in Singapore but they seem to have difficulties understanding me
to the extend that I am now very reluctant to converse in Hakka with them.
(Perhaps the main reason is that my Hakka is not very fluent). When I told
them I speak "Sin On Hak" they do not seem to understand. Could you please
enlighten me whether there is another name for "Sin On Hak". (My Hakka is
the same as those spoken in Sabah and Brunei. It is different from Ho Po Hak).

When I went back to Kuching last FEB, I looked up the elders in my family to
find out more information about our origin but with no avail . It seemed
that my siblings and I will never know which part of China we originated
from. If you could please advise the origin of the surname "CHIN". All the
Chinese I meet with the surname "CHIN" are Hakka's so far.

Regards 
Elizabeth Chin


At 10:24 AM 3/24/97 -0500, teoh@cs.utk.edu wrote:
>>From chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au Sun Mar 23 11:17:50 1997
>From: CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>
>Subject: A brief of Hakka People
>
>
>
>This was the response to my story of the migrations of the 
>Hakka People I received last year.  
>
>My story:
>
>The five big migrations of the Hakka People 
>
>Hakka People were originally from the province of Henan.
>There were five big migrations of the Hakka People to the South.
>
>   The first migration was during the Period of The Sixteen Kingdoms
>of the Five Barbarians 317AD to 581AD. Due to the invasion of the 
>Non-Han Chinese from the Siberian steppes the Hakka People crossed
>the Son Of The Ocean (Yangtze Jiang) and settled down in the provinces 
>of Anhui and Jiangxi.
>
>   The second migration took place during the end of the Tang Dynasty
>(618AD to 907AD). This Period was called The Five Dynasty and The ten
>Kingdoms. It lasted from 907AD to 954AD.
>
>   The third started in around 1274AD during the Song Dynasty (960AD to 
>1279AD).The Hakka People fled from the conquering Mongolian armies. 
>The provinces of the middle and south China were already settled by the
>earliers migrants. They had to settle farther south. 
>They arrived in the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan and North
>Vietnam. 
>
>   The fourth migration occurred after the establishment of the Qing
>Dynasty (1644AD to 1911AD). Zhang Xian Zhong, the "Yellow Tiger",
>the rebel during the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368AD to 1644AD) invaded
>Sichuan province. Although he established a government his main concern
>was military control. He stamped out all his opponents. He killed thousands
>upon thousands of people.
>He composed a poem and it read, 
>	"The Heaven gave rise to everything to nourish men.
>	Men has not even a thing to thank the Heaven.	
>        Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill."
>He almost depopulated the province of Sichuan.
>  The Qing Government encouraged the Hakka People living in southern China
>to immigrate to Sichuan province and paid 8 ounces of silver per man, four 
>ounces per woman or child. Many Hakka People accepted the offer and settled
>down in Sichuan province.
>
>   The fifth and the last migration took place at the end of the Taiping
>Revolution (1851AD to 1864AD). To the Hakka this revolution was
>their most glourious epic because the leader, Hong Xiu Quan, was a Hakka.   
>Hong established a Heavenly Kingdom in Nanjing. Unfortunately it failed to
>oust the Qing Government. The revolution was destroyed by the Imperial Qing 
>Government with the help of the Western Powers.
>
>   After the destruction of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in 1864AD The 
>Manchus killed all men, women and children with the surname Hong. Many
>fled or changed their surnames. 
>  Due to these massacres many Hakka People migrated to Nanyang. Some of
>them went as far as Brazil, Panama, U.S.A and even to Africa. Today almost
>100% of the Chinese descents in Sarawak State of Malaysia are Hakka.
>
>CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.
>
>The response
>
>From: jaskew@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Joseph Askew)
>Newsgroups: soc.culture.china
>Subject: Re: The five big migrations of the Hakka People
>Date: 8 Sep 96 05:49:26 GMT
>Organization: Monash University
>
>chungyn@collective.com.au (CHUNG Yoon-Ngan) writes:
>
>>The five big migrations of the Hakka People.
>
>>Hakka People were originally from the province of Henan.
>>There were five migrations of the Hakka People.
>>   The first migration was during the Period of The Sixteen Kingdoms
>>of the Five Barbarians 317AD to 581AD. Due to the invasion of the 
>>Non-Han Chinese from the Siberian steppes the Hakka People crossed
>>the Son Of The Ocean (Yangtze Jiang) and settled down in the provinces 
>>of Anhui and Jiangxi.
>
>This is a nice story and is commonly repeated. Being the story
>Hakka like to tell about themselves I suppose. But as a language
>Hakka is not related to Mandarin or the northern dialects. It is
>most closely related to other southern (but Chinese) dialects.
>Now either you accept that all the Hakka forgot their own language
>and learnt someone else's or you forget about fleeing from Henan.
>Simple if you ask me.
>
>According to stories you often hear from Cantonese people the 
>Hakka are just assimilated "barbarians". Like the Tanka boat
>people of Hong Kong. Which we know in late Imperial times were
>non-Chinese but who have since become so assimilated that they
>are more or less treated as Chinese. And speak Cantonese. It is
>interesting that the only two sub-groups of Chinese people that
>are commonly described using "jia" are the Tanka (Dengjia) and
>the Hakka (Kejia). Both derogatory terms. On the other hand the
>use of "jia" is wide spread for non-Chinese people of the south.
>And then again only two Chinese subgroups failed to bind their
>women's feet (a northern custom too which for some reason the
>Hakka did not seem to have brought from the north). The Tanka 
>and the Hakka. Just like all the non-Chinese people of the south.
>
>>The Qing Government encouraged the Hakka People living in southern China to 
>>immigrate to Sichuan province and paid 8 ounces of silver per man, four 
>>ounces per woman or child. Many Hakka People accepted the offer and settled
>>down in Sichuan province.
>
>Which is why Deng Xiaoping can be both a Hakka and from Sichuan.
>
>>   The fifth and last migration took place at the end of the Taiping
>>Revolution(1851AD to 1864AD). To the Hakka People this revolution was
>>their most glourious epic because the leader, Hong Xiu Quan, was a Hakka.   
>
>If this bunch of mass murderers is the best that the Hakka can claim
>I would given up if I were one. Let's not forget that the CCP was at
>one time dominated by Hakka. Still is to a great extent. So much so
>that the Long March was routed through mostly Hakka areas. 
>
>>Hong established a Heavenly Kingdom in Nanjing. Unfortunately it failed to
>>oust the Qing Government. The revolution was destroyed by the Imperial Qing 
>>Government with the help of the Western Powers.
>
>Interesting use of the word "unfortunately". Given that the Taipings
>killed more people while in government than any non-Communist regime
>before or since why do you think it would have been a good idea for
>them to have won?
>
>>Due to these massacres many Hakka People migrated to Nanyang. Some of them
>>went as far as Brazil, Panama, U.S.A and even to Africa. Today almost 100% 
>>of the Chinese descents in Sarawak State of Malaysia are Hakka People.
>
>The Hakka were early to come to Sarawak but they got displaced by 
>later commers. Whole cities which were founded by Hakka people and
>once were entirely Hakka are now majority Cantonese. Quite a lot of
>Hakka people made it as far as Jamaica though. Which is why the model
>Naomi Campbell is supposed to have a Hakka father.
>
>Joseph
>
>--
>				Sherman Was Right
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