Ep. 150 | The History of the Hakka People
In this milestone 150th episode, Laszlo shines a light on the Hakka people and where they fit in Chinese history. There are no shortages of authoritative sources that all disagree as to their origins and when the Hakka’s migrated from where to where.
Legends and stereotypes surrounded this sub-group of Chinese. But one thing is for sure they have carved an indelible spot in worldwide Chinese culture. More than 80 million Hakka’s call this solar system their home.
Fifty minutes hardly offers a comprehensive look at any culture, let alone 客家文化. In this episode, Laszlo offers a general overview. As always there is plenty of reading you can do and videos you can watch that give you a more satisfying meal than this episode can.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bendi | 本地 | Also known as the Punti in Cantonese, means Native |
| Biaozhun | 标准 | a standard |
| Cao Wei | 曹魏 | Northern of the Three Kingdoms |
| Changting | 长汀 | Present day name for Tingzhou |
| Chaoshan | 潮汕 | Abbreviation for Chaozhou-Shantou |
| Chaozhou | 潮州 | City in Guangdong, above Shantou. The people are known as Teochew |
| Dī | 氐 | One of the Five Barbarian Tribes |
| Emperor Min | 晋愍帝 | Last Western Jin emperor |
| Gan | 赣 | Abbreviation for Jiangxi Province |
| Gan River | 赣江 | Main river in Jiangxi |
| Ganzhou | 赣州 | City in Jiangxi |
| Hakka people | 客家人 | Translates to “Guest People” |
| Han Su-yin | 韩素音 | Born in Xinyang, Henan, home of Xinyang Maojian tea. Han Su Yin was the pen name of author Elizabeth Comber |
| Hong Xiuquan | 洪秀全 | Responsible for the Taiping Rebellion |
| Hsieh T’ing-yu | - | Historian who wrote The Origin and Migrations of the Hakkas (1929) |
| Huang Chao Uprising | 黄巢之乱 | Uprising in the late Tang from 881 to 884 |
| Hui | 回 | The character “to return”. |
| Huizong | 徽宗 | Last emperor of the Northern Song |
| Jiankang | 建康 | Ancient name of Nanjing |
| Jieyang | 揭阳 | Predominantly Hakka city just west of Chaozhou and Shantou |
| Jin Dynasty | 晋朝 | Founded by Jin Wudi |
| Jin Wudi | 晋武帝 | Jin Dynasty founder |
| Jié | 羯 | One of the Five Barbarian Tribes |
| Kaifeng | 开封 | Capital of the Northern Song |
| Kangxi emperor | 康熙 | Long reigning early Qing Dynasty emperor |
| Kejia ren | 客家人 | A Hakka Person |
| Kejia shange | 客家山歌 | Hakka mountain folk songs |
| Kejia Yanjiu Daoliu | 客家研究导流 | Luo Xianglin’s 1933 book “An Introduction to the Study of the Hakkas” |
| Leicha | 擂茶 | Hakka pounded tea |
| Lin’an | 临安 | Capital of Southern Song (present day Hangzhou) |
| Liu Song | 刘宋 | First of the Southern Kingdoms |
| Liu Yu | 刘裕 | Founder of the Liu Song (also known as 刘宋武帝) |
| Luo Xianglin | 罗祥林 | Hakka historian |
| Luoyang | 洛阳 | Ancient capital city in China history |
| Meixian | 梅县 | Mei County |
| Meizhou | 梅州 | City in northeast Guangdong |
| Min | 闽 | Fujian people, also an abbreviation of Fujian |
| Nanbei Chao | 南北朝 | The Southern and Northern Kingdoms period |
| Nanjing | 南京 | City in Jiangsu, means Southern capital |
| Niang Doufu | 酿豆腐 | The most famous Hakka dish |
| Ninghua County | 宁化县 | County in Fujian |
| Nàxī | 纳西 | Ethnic minority group around Lijiang in Yunnan |
| Qian Hai Ling | 遷海令 | The Great Clearance, or coastal evacuation |
| Qingchao Monian | 清朝末年 | The final years of the Qing dynasty |
| Qiāng | 羌 | One of the Five Barbarian Tribes |
| Shantou | 汕头 | Coastal city in Guangdong adjacent to Chaozhou |
| Shibi Village | 石壁村 | Place in Fujian where the Hakka’s first settled |
| Shu | 蜀汉 | The western of the Three Kingdoms |
| Sima Yan | 司马炎 | Founded Jin Dynasty. Temple name Jin Wudi |
| Taishan | 台山 | City known as Toi San |
| The Han | 汉朝 | The Han Dynasty |
| Tingzhou | 汀洲 | Another place not far from Shibi where the Hakka’s first assembled |
| Tu Kè Xièdòu | 土客械斗 | The Punti-Hakka Clan Wars from1855 and 1867 |
| Tulou | 土楼 | The circular and square Hakka compounds |
| Weilong Wu | 围龙屋 | Distinctive single level concentric U-shaped structures |
| Wu | 东吴 | The eastern of the Three Kingdoms |
| Wuhu | 五胡 | The Five Barbarian Tribes |
| Xianbei | 鲜卑 | One of the Five Barbarian Tribes |
| Xiang | 湘 | Abbreviation of Hunan |
| Xiōngnú | 匈奴 | One of the Five Barbarian Tribes |
| Yanju Ji | 盐焗鸡 | Salt Baked Chicken |
| Yan’an | 延安 | City in Shaanxi, where the Long March concluded |
| Yongding County | 永定县 | County in southern Fujian near Guangdong border |
| Yue | 粤 | Abbreviation for Guangdong |
| Zhao | 赵 | Surname of the Song Dynasty emperors |
| Zhao Kuangyin | 赵匡胤 | Founder of the Song Dynasty |
| Zheng Chenggong | 郑成功 | Taiwan hero, better known as Koxinga |
| Zudi | 祖地 | Ancestral land |
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