An abstract of the five migrations of the Hakkas (1)

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

   An abstract of the five migrations of the Hakkas (1) 

   Overseas Hakkas claim that their ancestors have moved five times.
Their first migration was at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty
(265AD to 317AD). The second migration took place in around 874AD just 
before the end of the Tang Dynasty (618AD to 907AD). The third migration 
was due to the conquest of the Mongolians and the collapse of the Song 
Dynasty (960AD to 1279AD). The fourth migration of the Hakkas occured 
between 1680AD to 1720AD after the Manchus had established their Dynasty 
of Qing (1644AD to 1911AD). The fifth and the last migration of these 
energetic hardworking Hakkas took place after the destruction of the 
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851AD to 1864AD).

   The First Migration around 311AD to 317AD  
   -------------------------------------------

  Towards the end of the Han Dynasty (206BC to 220AD) the land was 
divided by the three most powerful generals during that time. In the 
North was Cao Cao, in the region of South and Southeast of the Yangtze 
River was Sun Quan and Liu Bei in Sichuan, the  Western part of the 
land. 

   Cao Cao, who was the Prime Minister of the Han Court, died in 220AD 
and his son Cao Pi succeeded him as the new Prime Minister. Without 
hesistation Cao Pi dethroned Emperor Xian of the Han Court and 
established his own Dynasty called Wei in 220AD with the capital in Luo 
Yang in Henan province.

  The following year Liu Bei established his Kingdom called Su in the 
Western part of the land with the capital in Chengdu in Sichuan province. 
In 229AD Sun Quan proclaimed the formation of his Kingdom with the capital 
in Jian Ye (present day Nanjing) in Jiangsu province. The historians called 
this period the Romance of the Three Kingdoms with incessant warfare for 
more than 50 years. 
 
  In 260AD Cao Huan was installed as Emperor Yuan of the Wei Dynasty and 
his Prime Minister was Si-Ma Yan. The Kingdom of Su was conquered by Wei 
Dynasty in 263AD. In 265AD Emperor Yuan was dethroned by his Prime 
Minister Si-Ma Yan who established his own Dynasty called Jin. Si-Ma Yan 
installed himself as Wu Di (Emperor Wu) of Jin Dynasty. He subjucated 
the Kingdom of Wu in 280AD. Thus Si-Ma Yan unified the country which had 
an estimated population of 16,163,863. 
 
   Si-Ma Yan was not only a drunkard but also a debauchee who could not 
tolerate criticism. He kept thousands of young and beautiful girls in 
his palace as his concubines. He could punish any official who dare 
to exposutulate with him on his debauchery. Si-Ma Yan died in 290AD and 
was succeeded by his son Si-Ma Zhong who was crowned as Emperor Hui.

   Si-Ma Zhong was a moron who did not have the ability to govern such      
a large country. He allowed his wife Emperess Gu Nan-Feng to take charge 
of the administration. She used her husband's authority to manipulate 
with power and the country fell apart in a civil war which was called the 
Rebellion of the Eight Princes that lasted from 290AD to 305AD. 
Eventually Emperess Gu died in the general chaos.

   As a result of the civil war the situation of the country deteriorated 
into famine which followed by droughts and the invasions of locusts.
The non-Han Chinese tribes of the Turkic Xiong Nu, the Jie, the Xian Bei, 
the Di and the Qiang took advantage of the anarchy and established 
themselves into politcal and armed units. In 304AD the Di founded a 
kingdom in the western part of the country, the Xiong Nu proclaimed the 
formation of a kingdom in south Shaaxi. The historians called this period 
"Wu Hu Luan Hua" The Invasion of the Five Barbarians. 

   In 311AD Liu Zong the chieftain of Xiong Nu siezed Luo Yang, the 
capital of Jin and captured Emperor Hui who was later executed. The 
14 years old Si-Ma Ye, a nephew of Empero Hui, was installed as Emperor 
Min in Chang An in Shaanxi by a relative. In 316AD another leader of the 
Xion Nu tribe overran Chang An and captured Emperor Min who was later 
killed by the conquerors. It was the end of the Jin Dynasty.
 
  Due to the famine, the politcal and economic chaos in North China 
en masse of Han Chinese fled southward to the safety regions south of the 
Yangtze River. In 317AD Si-Ma Rui set up a new Dynasty called Eastern Jin 
in Jian Kang (present day Nanking city) and installed himself as Emperor 
Yuan. The exodus of Han Chinese continued to move into south of Yangtze 
River. They were the powerful family groups and they established 
political units to control over their new homes. They swamped the  
regions where it is now called the provinces of Jiangsu, Jiangxi and 
Anhwei. It was estimated that more than a million people had emigrated 
to the South.

   There were feuds between the emigrants and the locals mostly over the 
seizure of lands by the new comers. The locals nicknamed them "Cang Ren" 
reckless fellows among them were the forebears of the Hakka People.  
Although the new Dynasty of Eastern Jin had made a few attemps to 
recover the North, Emperor Yuan and the  new comers were contented with 
their new found and fertlie land in the South. As a result the Chinese 
population in the South increased by several folds and the non-Han 
Chinese in the South were Sinicized by these Diaspora.   

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.