Re: Hakka Dance

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.joinet.net.au>]

Re: Hakka Dance

平地有好水﹐         There is good water in the flat land,
高山有好花﹐         There are beautiful flowers in the mountains
客家藝術一枝 花.     Hakka culture is like a bunch of flowers

This is how people describe the localized Hakka culture in 
southern Jiangxi province.

There are many tea plantations in the mountainous regions of Jiu Long Shan
(九龍山) in An Yuan county (安遠縣) of Jiangxi province (江西省). The
inhabitants in these regions are the Hakkas who have been living there
since they emigrated from the north about one thousand years ago. While
they pluck the young tea leaves they sing their mountain songs. Sometines
there were butterfies flying around the tea groves. Being merry young
girls were trying to catch the butterflies but they continued to sing.

During festival times young Hakka boys and girls perform the dance of
plucking tea leaves and catching the butterflies. This dance is very
popular in China and the Overseas Chinese communities throughout the
world. It is called Cai Cha Pu Die (採茶撲蝶) or Plucking Tea Leaves and
Catching The Butterflies. I am sure many of our Hakka friends have seen
this dance before.

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan