What does Hakka mean?

The Chinese nation is a great nation. Hakka is an outstanding branch of the Chinese nation. Hakka ancestors used to be the cradle of Chinese civilization-the Han nationality in the Jianghuai Valley of the Yellow River. From the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to natural disasters and wars, they moved southward in large numbers. They first took root in the vast mountainous areas at the junction of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi, and then spread to southern provinces and overseas. Now there are tens of millions of Hakkas in more than 70 countries and regions around the world. People often say: "Where there is the sun, there are China people, and where there are China people, there are Hakkas." Hakka has become one of the most widely distributed and far-reaching ethnic groups in the world today.

So, what is Hakka? It can be said that Hakka is an important ethnic group of Han nationality; Hakka is a unique and stable Han group. The gathering place of Hakka people is the triangle of Gannan, western Fujian and eastern Guangdong (there are 29 pure Hakka counties here, which are the base camp of Hakka people). Hakka dialect is a unique language of Hakka people. Hakka people have special Hakka culture and customs; Hakka people have a unique Hakka spirit. To sum up, Hakka is a unique and stable ethnic group of Han nationality formed due to historical reasons. They share the same interests and have a unique and stable Hakka language, culture, folk customs and emotional mentality (that is, Hakka spirit). Anyone who meets the above stable characteristics can be called Hakka.

Hakka, which is synonymous with wandering and weather-beaten suffering, is full of blood, tears and bitterness in the migration process of Hakka; Hakkas, synonymous with the glory of hard work and pioneering, have created the famous Hakka spirit and culture through hardships-their glory and brilliance are worthy of pride.

When the ancestors of Hakkas traveled around and finally found this base camp in the border area of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi, they were regarded as "guests" by other ethnic groups around them, that is, "outsiders". Hakka people who are always guests and everywhere are not only called "guests", but also call themselves "guests", which shows that they are generous and open. It is this kind of magnanimous and open-minded spiritual quality that the Hakka people can "be at home in a foreign land", integrate the aborigines in southern Jiangxi, western Fujian and eastern Guangdong, and finally form a unique and excellent Hakka family. The formation process of Hakka clan is also the process of the formation, development and growth of the Chinese nation. Hakkas are outstanding members of the Chinese nation. Learning and understanding the formation process of Hakka clans will help Hakka descendants to understand the historical footprint of the Chinese nation more deeply and enhance their sense of historical responsibility and mission to the country and the nation.

The Formation of Hakka Clans and the Origin of Hakka Appellations

What is a Hakka clan?

In the long history of thousands of years, Hakka ancestors have been in a state of mobility. Migration and re-migration are important features of the formation of Hakkas. When others have basically settled down, Hakkas are still moving around looking for an ideal home. It was the great migration of Central Plains civilization that formed a unique and excellent clan.

So, what is the Hakka clan? The so-called Hakka clan is a branch within the same body of the Han nationality. After a long-term migration, they finally arrived and settled in the border areas of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi, forming a group with unique dialects, customs and other cultural phenomena different from other ethnic groups around them.

Criteria for the formation of hakka clans. First, Hakka dialect. One of the most basic and important aspects to distinguish Hakka from non-Hakka is language. Hakka dialect is not only a symbol of Hakka becoming a Hakka, but also a cohesive bond of Hakka self-identity. Specifically, the most direct and simple reason why a Hakka recognizes another Hakka as his own ethnic group is that both sides speak the same Hakka dialect, not because of the same region and blood relationship. Second, important cultural phenomena in the base camp area. The so-called cultural phenomenon refers to the deep cultural things that are closely related to people's daily life and directly or indirectly reflected in people's daily behavior. For example, folklore, religion, philosophy of life, value orientation, psychological feelings and so on. The research results of contemporary cultural anthropology show that the self-identity between different groups (groups, genera, etc.). ) is mainly a cultural phenomenon, in addition to these innate factors such as race and descent.

Hakka's base camp

The triangle of southern Jiangxi, western Fujian and eastern Guangdong is the base camp of Hakkas. There are traffic jams in the base camp area, and the triangle is full of hills and mountains, which is the place where the southeast hills are concentrated. Wuyishan and Nanling Mountains meet here, forming a natural barrier separating the Central Plains from the southeast coast. It is in the center of this natural barrier that three great rivers, Ganjiang, Tingjiang and Meijiang, have been bred. On the banks of these three rivers and their numerous tributaries, small basins are dotted. Hakka ancestors migrated from north to south and finally found an ideal place to stay. The small basin here, through the hard development and construction of several generations of Hakkas, has formed a series of busy market towns and villages with smoke curling up.

The origin of Hakka appellation

The formation of Hakka clans in the triangle of Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong makes the southeast corner of Chixian county dazzling and full of vitality. The mysterious and colorful Hakka Base Camp proudly announces to the world that there are a group of people with China blood in their veins, who are working hard to sow and cultivate Chinese civilization. The name of this group of people is Hakka.

So, how did the name Hakka come from? Wang Li, a famous linguist, believes that Chinese rhymes "Hakka means' guest' or' outsider', so Hakka is a foreigner." It can be seen that Hakka dialect is a kind of symmetry relative to the "master" (aborigines), and the "guest" in Hakka dialect means a foreigner. "Being a guest makes you feel at home", and those who are a guest in a foreign country and make this their home are called Hakkas.

On the whole, the word "guest" embodies the historical opportunity of Hakka people to stay at home all the time, and the generosity and openness of "calling themselves guests" "People often do Kunzhi's work in all directions, and a routine program can be set up everywhere. Being in a foreign land is still in my hometown. " This is a long-standing ballad in Hakka area. This ballad reflects the historical experience of Hakkas who are far away from their homeland and hometown, and shows their happy and broad-minded spirit. The magnanimity of "people are willing to work hard and aim at all directions" and the spirit of "being at home in a foreign country" show the heroic spirit of Hakka people who respect me and call themselves guests. Without this heroism, how can Hakkas be proud of being called or calling themselves "guests"?

Hakka, a resounding name, makes Hakka descendants proud of it. The formation process of Hakka clan makes people clearly see the formation and development process of the Chinese nation; Hakka spiritual culture reflects the profound and long-standing civilization of the Chinese nation. The magical and colorful Hakka spiritual culture needs us to inherit, carry forward and develop.

Hakka culture

The foundation of Hakka traditional culture "Where does Hakka come from? This Han and Zhou (zh Plain native) has three generations, and lives in Heluo. Since the beginning of Jin Dynasty, the soldiers were in a state of chaos, and he went to the south. After the disaster of the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, he was sent to a distant place, started four industries, traced back to the source, and claimed to be a thousand-year-old guest. Where is your hometown? A few ancestors, the old clan of the Central Plains, moved to Guangdong and Fujian. Since the end of the Song Dynasty, they settled in Ju 'an, stopped in Meizhou, resumed broadcasting in the Ming Dynasty, and moved to Qing Dynasty. The group is divided into border counties, and melons (Di Plain) are all over five States, with the same root (Ding Plain), and home is home in the world. " (Huang Huoxing: "Long Couplet One Couplet" is taken from Hakka Culture ResearchNo. 1 issue)

In the unprecedented national migration in history, countless hardships have tempered the perseverance and fortitude of Hakka people. The flame of Central Plains civilization is lit everywhere in the drift from place to place; Burning in the misery of wandering. Perhaps it can be said that if there were no Hakkas leading the Central Plains civilization south to maintain and continue the ancient civilization, Chinese civilization might be interrupted or even destroyed. It can be seen that Hakka is the oldest carrier of Chinese civilization and the "living fossil" of the ancient Han nationality.

So, what is traditional culture? Traditional culture usually refers to the cultural elements that existed stably in the past, spread to this day and still play a role. Hakka has its own traditional culture, which is the inheritance and development of the Central Plains and Heluo culture. Its long migration history and environmental conditions in remote mountainous areas make it a Hakka cultural tradition with its own characteristics. Therefore, Hakka culture is a subculture of Chinese culture, with national color and regional characteristics.

Heluo culture is the root of Chinese culture and Hakka culture. Heluo culture is the core and symbol of Chinese culture, which originated from the traditional culture of ancient Yellow River and Heluo area in China. Heluo culture is the most mature main vein of China's ancient cultural development, and the central axis, cradle and holy land of China's cultural development. Heluo culture has a long history and rich connotations. As early as the Paleolithic Age, human beings lived and engaged in production activities in Heluo area, and Heluo culture was born. In the Neolithic Age, Heluo culture developed greatly. Heluo took the lead in entering the civilized era in China and has long been the core of Chinese civilization. Chinese characters first appeared in Heluo area. China's four academic thoughts, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and rationalism, can be traced back to Heluo. China's four great inventions, papermaking and block printing, all originated in Luoyang. Zhang Heng made "armillary sphere" and "seismograph" in Luoyang. Ma Jun of the Three Kingdoms invented rollover in Luoyang. The landmark articles of the Han and Wei Dynasties, the literature of the Western Jin Dynasty, the poems and songs of the Tang Dynasty, the masterpieces of history and geography, and the famous painters and calligraphers all flourished in Luoyang. Luoyang is an ancient capital with a history of thousands of years. There are many people and treasures here. There are countless cultural relics on the ground and underground, and the cultural accumulation layer is rich, ranking first in the country.

The Ganjiang, Tingjiang and Meijiang river basins in the base camp area are the most important areas for the formation of Hakka culture. Hakka research experts summarize the formation and evolution of modern Hakka traditional culture as "Sanjiang culture" (namely Ganjiang culture, Tingjiang culture and Meijiang culture), which shows that the formation of Hakka traditional culture is closely related to the natural and social conditions in the base camp area.

"Sanjiang culture" and its representative figures. 1. Ganjiang culture: It is mainly the culture of the Song Dynasty, with the cultural characteristics of Hakka settlements in southern Jiangxi, and the representatives are Hakka Ouyang Xiu and Wang Anshi. Secondly, Tingjiang culture: With the Hakkas moving south to Tingzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, they experienced wars in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, and formed Tingjiang cultural characteristics represented by Shixiong Li and Liu Fang. Third, Meijiang culture: In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, a large number of Hakkas moved south to Jiaying House, forming one of the Hakka base camps in eastern Guangdong, becoming the hometown of culture and gestating Meijiang culture. Its representatives are Huang Zunxian and Qiu.

Hakka traditional culture has a long history, just like a towering tree in Aoba Shigeru. Her tall and straight posture is bathed in the warm sunshine in the south; Her developed roots are deeply rooted in the ancient soil layers of the Central Plains and Heluo. This is a towering tree standing on the sacred land of the East! This is a towering tree that reflects the five continents and four seas!

Hakka culture full of "local complex"

"Local Complex" is one of the characteristics of China traditional culture, and it is also a prominent feature of Hakka traditional culture.

China has been a typical agricultural society since ancient times. In an agricultural society, people have lived on the same land for generations. People born and raised in Sri Lanka have infinite attachment to their homeland. Many Hakkas have left their native land for decades. Although their childhood life was so poor, they missed their homeland so sweetly. Local complex, injecting China traditional culture; Infiltrate Hakka culture.

Migrating, leaving my hometown, crossing mountains and mountains, crossing the ocean, I never forget my hometown land and relatives. Hakkas were forced to move again and again. How can people who are forced to leave their hometown and lose their hometown know more about the loveliness of their hometown? How can we not cherish the local friendship more?

Folk traditional culture and art reflecting local customs. In Hakka traditional culture, nothing can better reflect the local feelings than Hakka folk songs. As the saying goes, "Hakka folk songs are particularly famous" and "Hakka folk songs are released (place names are harmonious)" comes from the mouth. "This kind of folk songs with strong local flavor makes people homesick and is unique among China folk songs. Hakka folk songs are a wonderful flower in the garden of Chinese folk literature and oriental poetry. Hakka folk songs are the treasures of Hakka folk literature. It comes directly from the people and expresses the production and life, joys and sorrows of Hakkas, with deep feelings, simplicity and beauty, and is deeply loved by the people. For thousands of years, Hakka folk songs have been widely and persistently circulated in Hakka inhabited areas, with their charm and eternal youth, showing strong artistic vitality. Besides Hakka folk songs, there are local operas such as Cantonese Opera, Tea Picking Opera, Hua Chaoxi, Puppet Opera and Mountain Opera. These local operas, except Han operas, are all sung in Hakka dialect, and their tunes have strong local characteristics. In Hakka traditional culture, folk proverbs are the most popular, easy to understand and have a strong Hakka flavor. Especially those proverbs that are homesick are memorable. For example, "Life is long and you are not afraid of your hometown", "It's hard to go out at home for thousands of days", "Trees attract wind, leaves fall to the roots", "Guests are not welcome at home, but you know several hosts when you go out", "As long as you are kind, eating sweet potato soup is sweet" ... Folk sculptures, paintings, folk handicrafts and local snacks are full of strong local friendship.

Hakka dialect! Whether you migrate from the Central Plains to the wild land in the southeast or from your native land to the thorny land in a foreign country, you are always so high-spirited and persevering. The word "success" is written in my heart, but the word "failure" can't be found in my heart. Hakka, why on earth are you as strong as steel? This is because your heart is filled with a piece of black coal from the traditional culture deep in the Central Plains stratum-burning the soaring flame of humanistic ideals-illuminating the way forward for all Hakka children. The heat emitted by this soaring flame makes the land of China warm as spring, and makes the five continents warm as spring. Yes, Hakkas are messengers of spring. Wherever they go, they can open up a brand-new spring.

Hakka culture is a new branch on the tree of ancient Chinese culture. On this lush new branch, colorful fruits are hung.