I was born a Hakka which is part of the Han Chinese People. Both my mother and father were from Meixien of the Meizhou Prefecture in the North East of Guangdong Province. Hakka people are scattered all over southern China namely Guangdong, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangxi and as a result of the different environments a large variety of Hakka dialect was developed. Many of these dialects are not mutually intelligible. Meizhou is however considered home for the prestige Hakka dialect.
Location of Meizhou China, home of Hakka People
The original Hakka people were believed to have come from Northern China but due to social unrest, upheavals and invasions had started migration to the South as early as 220 BC. Hakka literally translates as “Guest Family”. Being aliens to the Southern populace, Hakka people were considered as guests.
Today Hakka people can be found all over the world – Asia, India, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, The Caribbean and more.
Many of the well known world personalities were Hakka such as:
Lee Kwan-Yew, Founding Prime Minister of Singapore
Lee Teng-Hui, Former President of Taiwan
Deng Xiaoping, Former President of China
Chow Yun-Fat, Famous Hong Kong movie star
Michael Chang, Former U.S. Tennis Professional
Farming and cultivation had been the traditional occupations of the Hakka families from Imperial times until the 1970’s. While the men sought labouring jobs in the towns and cities, Hakka women tended the fields and looked after the household. Hakka woman life was therefore very hard and in ancient times other ethnic Chinese were reluctant to have their daughters marry into a Hakka family.
Typical Hakka Ladies up to as far as 1970’s
Hakka people are famous for their “Tulou” houses which are like fortified villages. Because of war and conflict, the Hakka people since the 12th century built massive structures that could not only stave off intruders but also formed amazing self sustaining micro-communities complete with food storage, space for livestock, living quarters, temples, armories and more.
Tulou houses are essentially fortresses built either in square or round shapes. Structures typically had only one entrance way and no windows at ground levels. Built either from strong bricks or more commonly rammed earth, the walls are up to six feet thick and are three to four stories in height. A Tulou could cover 430,000 square feet and accommodate two to three hundred families. Today Tulou structures could still be found in some part of China namely Fujian Province.
A Tulou Hakka House Fortress like which can accommodate 200 to 300 families
A combination of round and square Tulou Hakka House
Inside a Hakka Tulou House
Apart from the Hakka dialect there are a large number of other Chinese dialects which are not mutually intelligible. The most commonly spoken and official language in China is Mandarin, while Shanghainese, Cantonese, Hokkienese are also widely spoken provincially.
When I was growing up in Mauritius there was a small number of Cantonese Chinese families while most other Chinese families were Hakka. As kids we always had a great laugh when we heard our Cantonese friends spoke among themselves. It sounded like Chinese opera singing. I am sure Cantonese kids also had to hold on their bellies laughing when they heard Hakka people spoke.