Where is the hometown of Hakkas?

Who wrote the history of Ganzhou? Who developed the land in Ganzhou? Why do immigrants from the north have a soft spot for this land for thousands of years? Why do the descendants of Hakkas who are far away from the ocean revere this place? She used to be the home of vagrants, the base camp from south to north. The ancient road in Tang Dynasty, 2 1 century bronze tripod, tells the vicissitudes of Hakka Ganzhou.

In 2004, a 5-meter-high bronze tripod was placed on the bank of Ganjiang River under the ancient city of Ganzhou. In the tradition of China, the tripod is a symbol of power and also represents a great centripetal force. Ganzhou has always been a place far away from the center of power, so what made Ganzhou people choose this tripod as a symbol of the city in the 2 1 century?

It is not difficult to see from the inscription on the tripod that "I am an ancestor of Hakka and a descendant of the Yellow Emperor" was cast in memory of the ancestors of Hakka. This shows that this land in Ganzhou has a special connection with the history of Hakka people. So what kind of connection is this, so that people today want to use it as a symbol of the city? Therefore, it is necessary for us to go into history, explore the source of Hakka ancestors and find their karma with this land.

In the 4th century, the history of China was in the Jin Dynasty. Due to the decline of the Jin Dynasty, princes and nobles fought each other for the imperial power. For a time, the Central Plains was filled with smoke and frequent wars, which was the famous "Eight Kings Rebellion" in history. Taking advantage of this war, the northern nomadic warriors stepped into the Central Plains and rushed into Henan, the ruling center of the dynasty.

In the face of this unprecedented catastrophe, ordinary people fled their homes in order to escape the war, which triggered the first great migration of the Central Plains population in the history of China. The direction is away from the war-torn south.

A considerable number of these people looking for new homes have entered the Ganjiang River basin along the Yangtze River. When they reached the source of Ganjiang River, an open land appeared in front of them. The land here is vast and sparsely populated. The continuous mountains and rivers are their shields and the vertical and horizontal rivers are their support, so they stayed here.

The northern immigrant's preferred residence is today's Ganzhou, which is the only road from the north of China to the southeast, and it is also the first place on this route that is far from war and has a lot of land. Therefore, in the eyes of refugees, she naturally became a paradise for one party to settle down. Because they came from far away and lived here, over time, people called these special residents "Hakkas", and Ganzhou became the earliest base camp of Hakkas.

In order to find the evidence of this history, Liu Jinfeng, a historian in Ganzhou, took us to the site of an ancient traffic artery.

This is an ancient post road. From the Jin Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the war in the north, a large number of immigrants crossed the Yangtze River against the river and then crossed Wuyi Mountain and embarked on this road. Finally, it entered Gannan through this gate, so it was an important channel for northern immigrants to move south at that time. According to local scholars' research, the Hakka ancestors who arrived in Ganzhou from the water landed at the gates of Ganzhou today.

However, the ancient post road and the Ganjiang River water are unspeakable. If it is said that the first large-scale southward migration of Hakka ancestors in the Jin Dynasty was here, are there any Hakka materials related to that era? Therefore, Liu Jinfeng took us into the rural areas of Ganzhou.

Nowadays, most residents in Ganzhou are Hakkas, and almost every family here keeps dozens of thick genealogies. Historically, Hakka people attached great importance to the compilation and revision of genealogy. With the extension of time, this tradition has recorded every footprint of ancestors' migration in genealogy for thousands of years, which has become an important evidence for scholars of literature and history to textual research history. It is in these genealogies that Liu Jinfeng found important information about the early Hakka ancestors for us.

It first moved from Yingchuan to Songyang, Zhejiang. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he moved to Ningdu (Ganzhou) for fighting alone. After the ancestors came, they were distributed all over southern Jiangxi.

This genealogy tells future generations that their ancestral home was Yingchuan, Henan, and they moved to Ganzhou in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This is completely consistent with the place where the war broke out 1700 years ago and the migration time of the early Hakka ancestors.

The arrival of Hakka ancestors broke the tranquility of this land, and the advanced farming technology in the north made a lot of land in Ganzhou developed. Since then, this red land has supported immigrants from the north and witnessed their prosperity. The flow of years has gradually brought new tranquility to it. However, more than 400 years after the arrival of this generation of Hakkas, the arrival of another batch of northern immigrants once again broke the calm here.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the territory of China was reunified, and the hinterland of the Central Plains once again became the political, economic and cultural center. In the first half of the 8th century, China ushered in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, and the rich Central Plains became the center of international communication with its prosperous culture and economy.

However, the Anshi Rebellion, which began in 755 AD, once again introduced the northern nomads into the Central Plains, and the history of China entered a period of catastrophe. The Anshi Rebellion not only directly destroyed the prosperous times of the Tang Dynasty, but also led to the situation that the northern part of China was divided and the war continued in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties. The long-term war made a large number of civilians in the north lose their land, and the displaced people had to move their families to the south, which far exceeded the refugee tide during the Jin Dynasty. They followed the route of their predecessors to the south and pursued the villagers who had lived in the south for a long time. At this time, Ganzhou has once again become the base camp for immigrants to the south.

According to historical records, from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, northerners moved south for more than 70 years, and the influx of a large number of people also expanded the governance scope of Ganzhou from 7 counties to 1 1 county in the Five Dynasties.

If the Hakkas in the Jin Dynasty were the first generation of pioneers, what did the Hakkas in the late Tang Dynasty leave to this land? Are there any traces of that era in Ganzhou today?

In the suburb of Ganzhou, a strange village name caught our attention. Her name is Wenfang Village. The strangeness lies in the word "Fang" in the village name. The Tang Dynasty established the "system" for the establishment of the city, and "Fang" was the unique street name of that era.

This place is called, and "Fang" is the "Fang" next to the local Chinese characters, right? This is very interesting. Because Han immigrants from the Central Plains brought some place names from the north to the south, this place is called the study room.

When immigrants enter Ganzhou, they naturally become Hakkas, and the residents of Wenfang Village have long been integrated with Ganzhou. But the imprint of ancestors, like the name of this village, will always travel through time and space inadvertently, sending a long-term message to future generations.

Where did the wandering Hakkas start? What makes Hakkas look for a new home? How many southbound steps did Meiguan Ancient Road take? What ancient legends do Gu Men List recall?

Now, when we face this bronze tripod again, we have much more emotion and nostalgia. But on closer examination, the base of this tripod seems a bit strange. Why is it uncharacteristically composed of three different colors of stones?

Since the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, with the continuous influx of immigrants from the north, Ganzhou has gradually become overcrowded from the past. Ganzhou is located at the junction of Jiangxi, Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Those coastal areas south of Ganzhou have never been set foot by Zhongyuan people, where there are a lot of uncultivated land and rich seafood resources. So many Hakka people in Ganzhou bid farewell to the villagers and once again extended their migration tentacles to the south. Their journey south has become an important place for people to remember Hakka ancestors today.

Through this ancient post road, the ancestors of Hakkas arrived in Gannan, and then passed through Wuyishan, so they could enter Changting and Ninghua in western Fujian, and then went south, crossed Junmenling in Huichang, and arrived in eastern Guangdong, which is now Meizhou and Xingning, so this is also an important passage for Hakkas to move south.

Because this ancient post road is the only way for Hakka people to travel from Ganzhou to Fujian and South Guangdong, later generations inscribed the plaque "The thoroughfare of Fujian and Guangdong", taking this place as the starting point coordinates of the road of Hakka ancestors' regeneration.

In Ganzhou, there is also a passage of great significance in the history of Hakka immigration. Dayu County in Ganzhou is located at the foot of Meiling, one of the five mountains, which divides Guangdong and Jiangxi into Lingnan Ridge North. Between the mountains in Meiling, there is a winding and rugged Millennium road leading to the top of the mountain, and there is an ancient customs building, which is Meiguan. Today, it has become a famous tourist attraction, which has a special attraction for tourists. Therefore, the photo taken here is in Jiangxi, and the photo taken there is in Guangdong, where the ancient Meiguan Road passes through Meiling.

This ancient road was built in the Tang Dynasty. It is an important channel connecting Lingnan area with the Central Plains, and was once the hub of the Maritime Silk Road. It is precisely because of its existence that generations of Hakka ancestors used the ancient road to cross Meiguan and enter Lingnan to find new homes. Go down Meiling and you will arrive at Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong, Guangdong. Historically, Zhuji Lane has always had a special significance in the hearts of Lingnan Hakkas.

Judging from the current data and genealogy, the ancestors of residents living in the Pearl River Delta all passed through Ganjiang River in Jiangxi, then came to Zhuji Lane through Meiyu Meiguan Ancient Post Road, and then carried out cultural integration and mentality adjustment in Zhuji Lane, and then continued to immigrate to the Pearl River Delta, and then gathered in the Pearl River Delta to settle down, becoming the ancestors of residents in the Pearl River Delta region including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao today.

For thousands of years, Hakka ancestors who bid farewell to Ganzhou rested and regrouped in Zhuji Lane, and then began their history of developing Lingnan and building their homes.

The special geographical location where the three provinces meet allows Ganzhou to welcome immigrants from the north and send away families from the south. Since then, Hakka people have traveled all over the southeast coast, and this pioneering spirit has made their descendants the earliest overseas immigrants in the history of China. However, no matter where, the feelings of Hakka people from Ganzhou are passed down from generation to generation. In their minds, Ganzhou is their hometown and the place where their ancestors shed sweat and tears.

It is precisely because the Hakkas who went south from Ganzhou mainly migrated to Guangdong and Fujian, that when modern Ganzhou built an altar in memory of Hakka ancestors, stones with local soil characteristics were selected from Ganzhou, Guangdong and Fujian as the cornerstone of the bronze tripod, symbolizing the same origin of ancestors.

No matter where Hakka people migrate, they will live in groups. The bond of affection and the centripetal force of the family let them unite to tide over the difficulties together, so as to become strong quickly in a strange environment. Being far away from their ancestral home, generations of Hakkas have deep feelings and religious worship for their ancestral home, which can be clearly seen from the unique inscriptions of Hakkas. Every house number shows people their ancestral home and the glory of this family.

Hakka people all over the world almost unanimously tell people that their roots are in the Central Plains. But there is an exception in Ganzhou. This list says: "Celebrate Putian". Putian is located in the middle of Fujian. It is different from the ancestral home of the northern ancestors. How can Putian become the ancestral home of Hakkas?

The genealogy of the host family gave us another discovery, which clearly recorded the round-trip route of the Huang family from Ganzhou to Putian, Fujian, and then to Longchuan, Guangdong, and from Longchuan to Ganzhou during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty.

From this genealogy, we can clearly see their migration trajectory. So now he respects his ancestors very much and thinks that he is very famous in Putian, which shows that he has a good reputation in Putian and is a noble family. The history of this family's many migrations also records another indissoluble bond between Ganzhou and Hakka.

Thousands of years of migration, countless generations of spring planting and autumn harvest, what marks did Hakka ancestors leave on Ganzhou in the vicissitudes of life? Mysterious geomantic omen, enclosed houses in the mountains, folk customs handed down from generation to generation, how many legends can Ganzhou Hakka interpret?

At the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, there was a war in the southeast coast, the Japanese invaded, and the Qing government recovered Taiwan Province Province. In order to cope with the war, the court issued a maritime ban. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, in order to prepare for the war, coastal residents were ordered to move 30 miles inland, which made a large number of coastal residents lose their land and sea on which to live, and almost all of them were Hakkas, and a considerable number of them were descendants of Hakkas who migrated from Ganzhou.

In this way, those coastal people with difficult livelihood returned to Ganzhou along the route of their ancestors going south, so there was a unique phenomenon of returning to Ganzhou in the history of Hakka immigration.

For thousands of years, Hakka ancestors from south to north have cultivated and developed this land in Ganzhou. In this long process, they not only created a living space for future generations, but also integrated the northern life customs and cultural customs with the folk customs of this land, and gradually formed the humanistic characteristics of Hakka Ganzhou.

Fermented tofu is a traditional food deeply loved by Ganzhou people. It is stuffed with meat and then processed. Whenever it is a festive day, it is always indispensable on the dining table. But few people know that it is the jiaozi of Hakka ancestors.

Jiaozi is a traditional food in the north. In the past, it could only be enjoyed by people on New Year's Eve, because it symbolizes good luck in the coming year. In the eyes of ancient northerners, eating jiaozi was an important ceremony. But wheat cannot grow in Ganzhou. Jiaozi can't eat without flour. Therefore, the early northern immigrants used tofu stuffing instead of jiaozi to complete their Spring Festival ceremony and pin their thoughts on their native land in the north.

Interestingly, among the traditional foods of Ganzhou people, there is also a kind of jiaozi, which is no different from jiaozi in the north in appearance except that its dough is made of sweet potato flour. Its appearance is directly related to the history of Hakka returning to the south.

Sweet potato originated in South America and was introduced to the coastal areas of China through maritime trade in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when the coastal Hakkas returned to Ganzhou, they brought this species back to the base camp. Later, it was found that sweet potato could be processed into noodles with high viscosity, so Hakka people in their hometown used it to wrap jiaozi, and Ganzhou people were able to see the original appearance of jiaozi.

In the mountainous area around Ganzhou, there are many fortress-like buildings, which the locals call enclosed houses. It is a unique residential building of Hakka people in Ganzhou mountainous area. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Hakkas in Ganzhou had accumulated a lot of wealth through the hard work of several generations, but bandits in mountainous areas constantly threatened the rich Hakkas. In order to protect property and people's safety, they built a closed house with thick walls and strong defense function. The appearance of enclosed houses provides a sense of security for Hakkas in mountainous areas of southern Jiangxi, and it has also become a major feature of residential buildings in China. Later, this architectural form was introduced to Guangdong and Fujian, where Hakkas also built enclosed houses. Today, the enclosed houses in these areas have become an important local cultural landscape for tourists and scholars to interpret the vicissitudes of Hakka people.

When it comes to architecture, we have to mention the relationship between Hakka people in Ganzhou and Feng Shui. Today, geomantic omen is studied by scholars as the embodiment of China traditional culture in architectural art, and Ganzhou has always been regarded as the birthplace of China geomantic omen culture, which is also related to the migration history of Hakkas.

Before the Tang Dynasty, geomantic omen was always monopolized by royalty. The war at the end of the Tang Dynasty led to the royal family fleeing. At this time, Yang Junsong, the royal feng shui master, came to Ganzhou with the refugees. Between the mountains and rivers in Ganzhou, Yang Junsong put his geomantic concept into practice, trained a group of disciples and gradually spread geomantic omen to Ganzhou people. Hakka people who admire the Central Plains culture quickly accepted the concept of geomantic omen, and since then, the residential villages here have been characterized by mountains and rivers. In today's view, these buildings and landscape environment complement each other, both patchwork and elegant.

As the earliest practitioners of geomantic omen, Hakka people in Ganzhou gradually spread geomantic omen to Hakka villages all over the country, and then to China.

Ganzhou history is a Hakka legend. Over the past 1000 years, generations of Hakka children have been raised and witnessed their reunion and separation. For more than 1000 years, Ganzhou has been playing an unusual role in the development and cultural communication of Hakka people. And all this has been deeply engraved on this land and will be shown to future generations forever.