The Hakka, Explained

The Hakka are an ethnic subgroup of the Han ethnicity - one of the largest and most prominent of such subgroups with some 50 million estimated in China, Taiwan and overseas. They have had a fascinating and rich history over the centuries that mirrors the story of the overall Han people. Here we are going to look at some of the cultural aspects and history of the Hakka people.
Subscribe to the Asianometry newsletter here: asianometry.com/

[@zzz7315]

I'm a 5th generation Hakka myself in Malaysia, still able to speak Hakka fluently. Both my mom's and dad's side are Hakka. Just writing all this down while it's still fresh in my memory. My great great grandfather was a Chinese doctor when he settled in KL in the 1800s, and he made quite a lot of dough back then bringing in more Chinese labourers to Malaya. He had 2 wives (1 in China, 1 in Malaysia) and a mistress to paint an image. So much that my great grandfather didn't work at all while my grandfather only worked in construction in his later years, where my dad also picked up the trade. My current house was built by my grandfather and father from the ground up when my dad was a child. My great grandfather was the son of my great great grandfather's first wife, while my grandfather and father are the eldest, so I guess that means we're the most legitimate in the lineage. Sadly my great grandfather squandered away all the wealth, but my great great grandfather had so much that even my dad didn't go through any sort of poverty at all. He was able to get by doing odd jobs until he settled by doing house renovations. We already cut ties with our relatives in China by my great great grandfather. Basically during the Japanese Occupation, he sent my grandfather back to China to have our relatives in Huizhou shelter him. But our relatives all refused to and he was forced to wander the streets. When my great great grandfather found out the rage surged from him as he had been sending vast sums of money back to them for decades and decided to cut all ties. But on my great great grandfather, great grandfather and grandfather's tomb stone still has the name of their ancestral city in China carved out. I used to hear that our old Malaysian home in Kg Dato Harun was razed to the ground as it was gound zero for the 1969 riots. It used to be a house with a coffe shop in front manned by my grandma. My dad would tell me how he climbed up trees with my uncles and defended themselves with slingshots as the rioters tried to kill them. Luckily a relative with a car came in and managed to haul everyone to safety. The government resettled us to PJ where my grandma is staying now. My grandma is from Ampang, and she on the other hand came from a family of tin and cement miners. She told me stories of when Japanese bombers flattened the cement factory they were working in. My mom's side on the other hand came from a poverty stricken background like most Hakkas back then. Her parents generation manned the rubber plantations, her mom died young so she had to take care of all the younger siblings when her dad was working. No one looked after them other than occasional visits from relatives, and she used to share the many tries it took her to cook something decent for her siblings. And another incident where my uncle became involved with gangsters and was almost beaten to death by the police. My grandpa (her dad) went around begging for bail money to save him, hence why no other family member ever became involved with gangsters again. My mom is the most respected in her side of the family because of her dad's legacy. He would always help out other family with no questions asked or strings attached, even to the point of starving himself where he spent the later half of his years paralysed from the waist down due to malnutrition. All I remember about him when I was born was that he was already wheelchair bound, and always gave us treats when we visited like any typical grandpa. As for myself, just nothing special that really went through. My parents both did such an amazing job shielding me and my brother from all those hardships the previous generations of Hakkas faced. Both my parents worked shield us from any sense of poverty, my mom sacrificed all her free time after work to make sure we were caught up on school. Hence I'm like many Hakkas of the modern generation, just hearing stories of the great hardships and sacrifices our ancestors faced in admiration. All while enjoying a peaceful middle class life in Malaysia. Also just wanna say Malaysia is the only home we've ever known a this point, after more than 150 years of my family's history here. And just forever grateful to stay in a peaceful, plentiful and diverse country.

[@chrispompom]

Wish I can be in Malaysia

[@majesticchicken3213]

I am half hakka, people in sabah called us sino kadazan which mean half hakka and half kadazan, I'm able to speak basic hakka only, cannot write nor speak mandarin though Your family history is definitely fascinating, my great great grandfather was from the mainland but that is all I know, they settled down in Sarawak and my father moves to sabah

[@zzz7315]

@@majesticchicken3213 It's okay to be half Hakka, still considered "Own House People" (自家人) as long as you can still speak it 😁

[@kapdolkim1914]

Great share. Thanks. I have many friends in Malaysia with similar stories.

[@waionnchan-yb7tm]

Anyone knows the address in Tam Sui, Huizhou, Guangzhou for Chen clan. I want to pray in my ancestors home

[@realmofthesenses]

My great-grandfather was Hakka from somewhere in South-China. He suffered a lot, and wanted a better life, so he left China to work on the plantation fields in a Dutch colony in South-America. After his contract was finished, he stayed and opened a shop from his house. He married a black woman, and the family took on the woman's European name (given to her family after the abolition of slavery). The family took on her name, because of racist colonial laws against Chinese at that time. A European name would help them get a better future. His descendents are called "black chinese". So, this Hakka Chinese man was the founding father of our post-slavery family. I, the third generation after him, carry a European last name, while the real family name is the Chinese name of my Hakka greatgrandfather. Sometimes I fantasize about adding our Chinese last name to our European last name. In our country such a sing is legally difficult and expensive.

[@pocahontasseguinart7099]

My family did the same before my great grandmother was born and they came to Jamaica.

[@mishima4630]

Change it back. Your roots are precious.

[@sidneysoon2745]

Suriname?

[@MattKucia]

Amazing story, thanks for sharing!

[@sidneysoon2745]

Suriname?

[@peterpenhk]

I'm a Hakka, according to my dad, we're the "guest" as we like moving around and therefore considered non-local wherever we are. i.e. the "guest". We move to escape wars and conflicts, in most cases Hakka people ended up in rural areas that no one bothers us i.e. away from cities or fertile lands and hence poor as stated in the video. We really are a group without root (or we take the concept of "hometown" lightly, you don't have to stay within close proximity of your family, unlike most other Chinese people), my great grandpa's brothers all moved to Malay, my grandpa's brothers all moved to Thailand, and finally my father (along with his siblings) moved from mainland China to Hong Kong. And myself studied in the UK and now working in Germany. Big thumbs up for this video!

[@isfaqualalam9909]

Reading your comment and watching this video has boosted hope in my own people. My culture comes from a similar, very thrifty and poor background and have suffered a lot of hardship over the past few centuries. We have a lot of diaspora, like the hakka. I hope your people continue to prosper, seeing so makes one feel more vigorous. Literal life fuel, some might say.

[@riza-2396]

Hak ka 客家 客 is guest 家 is family(or home)

[@winnipegdigitalpsychogeogr5958]

Hello fellow Hakka Ngin ! I am a Hakka from Guangzhou area now living in Canada. I would agree with your dad's saying of the fortunate fate of Hakka people despite hardships, except I would say Hakka people are strong rooted in their villages and territories. I understand Hakka clan's constant desire to move outward is to make out for the limited resource they could sustain in place - limited by mountainous geographies, lack of transportation resources (by the river / sea), or simply outgrowing of village sites. I would say Hakka culture / people are rooted because these village sites have continued to be occupied and cared for by those who stayed behind (i.e. did not want to or need to move out). And they continue to practice their culture, language, and way of life on these site village sites. Another way to trace your own root is through the often well kept genealogy records from your own clanship. If you have the opportunity, I would highly encourage you to trace your clan's paths of immigration by visiting these village sites and understand your own root. I may be generalizing from my own experience, but nice to cross path with another fellow Hakka Ngin! Wish you happy new year of the rabbit. - Jin

[@wtz_under]

initially, i found it somewhat strange that the video calls them "jews of china". but i guess it makes sense. there are no natural oil reserves, or much materials or resources found in israel.

[@danielzhang1916]

@@wtz_under yeah that's not really accurate, they're more like the Roma or other groups that fled wars and stuff

[@XerosXIII]

I'm one of the lucky new generation of Hakka in Malaysia that had a decent upbringing, no worries of missing out the next meal. Stories of parents and grandparents having to hustle everyday, eating nothing but porridge with salted fish or fermented tofu is very real the language and culture is lost on me as I do not had much exposure to it, but I would say I'm in an interesting position to look at Hakka like an outsider despite a Hakka myself!

[@ScienceSavvy502]

Can you speak hakka? Hiao gong mao yo?

[@clarencechung122]

@@ScienceSavvy502 ngai hiao!!!

[@wliaputs]

Mm cho

[@XerosXIII]

@@ScienceSavvy502 sik bao mang? that's it :P

[@sheepmasterrace]

damn having fis h daily would be a delicacy for my dad (born to a kmt nco 4 years after the escape)

[@kelshakes]

My grandfather was Hakka from Guangdong. His family fled from their village and started again in Myanmar where he met my grandmother. I'm born in South Africa and a mix of burmese, Ugandan and Chinese. It's amazing to learn more about my grandfather's history

[@LuBu1323]

I don't know if it's true, but Hakka people are present all over the world due to their habit of exploring new lands.

[@shadowmistress999]

@@LuBu1323 Hakka or anyone from Guangdong, I guess

[@hahahihi6123]

@@LuBu1323 yes it's true. Hakka in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, east Timor, Vietnam, mauratious, carrabean, Africa. Whever there is Chinese you damn sure there will be Hakka, hokkien or cantonese

[@brittbrat9328]

Similar story with me. My family ended up in the US

[@mattchen6137]

Fam we travel, im hakka Canadian, parents hakka Jamaican hahah. Love mi family😏😎

[@Rajj854]

They were the most well known Chinese group in Kolkata , India. I grew up with them. They are very hard working people and industrious people.

[@peterzeng7514]

thanks for your kind words, i am hakka myself, born and grew up in kolkata's bentinck street now living in canada

[@jewellui]

How did the original settles communicate, did they learn the local languages? I can’t imagine.

[@treelife365]

My mom was born and raised in Kolkata! I visited when I was a kid 😊 We are now in Toronto, Canada.

[@prla5400]

Dang, lots of stuff in Calcutta

[@jama5191]

@@treelife365 are you the Jews of China 🤔?

[@lilylimtiaco]

My maternal grandmother was a Hakka. As a young child, I remembered her beautiful folk singing when she was hand sewing my clothes. She was thrifty and hardworking. I wished I learned her dialect.

[@jackjackyphantom8854]

The regional differences within Chinese (Han) aren't that significantly large, due to immigrations back and forth (with the exceptions of Tanka and Pinghua). Northern Han contributed fundamentally to the ancestry make-up of Southern Han (especially in terms of paternal lineage); the main difference came from the maternal side. The question is, are Hakka people a distinct ethnic group? Personally I don't think so, I'd say that they're still within the Han community!

[@pocahontasseguinart7099]

My great grandmother was from Hakka Chinese quarter . Chinese people use to live and have kids in Jamaica where my grandmother is from

[@Rexlee1123]

@@jackjackyphantom8854 yup, and Hakka maternal lineage consist mostly of Hmong mien ethnic groups like the she people.

[@jackjackyphantom8854]

@@Rexlee1123 I think it depends on the individuals. Some Hakka have non-Han origins and some Hakka are just Han. Ultimately, Southern and Northern Han forms a tight cluster in Y-chromosome. Well Han is a strong patriarchal society, the men are economically and politically dominant, so indigenous girls would marry them in seek for better life! The indigenous men couldn't compete and were slowly displaced!

[@jackjackyphantom8854]

@@Rexlee1123 I think we can observes their facial features. Some Southern Chinese just look Chinese and some don't look very Chinese.

[@jingqiuwu5615]

My grandma is a Hakka. She is a very nice and gentle woman. Her father, Mr Lee Moh Tor, owned a shop making granite manual grinder in Shunde Guangdong, (Now it is under Foshan, Guangdong). When we were young, she washed our clothing and cooked our meals. She lived until the age of 76 years. We missed her dearly.

[@winnieh834]

I miss mine as well ♥️

[@meiguimeiguiwoaini]

your explanation of hakka cuisine is spot on tbh... as a half hakka i grew up eating a lot of 梅菜 which is preserved, especially in dishes like 梅菜扣肉 (or khieu nyuk as we say it in hakka)... i chuckled a little at the "hakkas are known to be thrifty" stereotype because this is something i grew up hearing lol

[@mikecarlson6416]

我今天才知道梅菜扣肉居然是客家菜

[@yeahboi7562]

Oh man... i instantly knew what you meant when you said "khieu nyuk".. lol.. love it growing up in Aussie hakka household

[@SmileZero]

Lol, I just came into a realization on why my gf often say I ate like poor people sometimes, and I was like, what do you mean lady? Is tofu and vegetables considered poor people's food now? I grew up eating these, it's a family recipe. Now I understand.

[@EddyWoon]

@@yeahboi7562 Good to hear that you know what it is. I now live in a beautiful country town in Qld. I am the only Chinese here and there is no one for me to practise Hakka with. I have to look up the recipe for this dish and share it with the folks here. Love this dish.

[@LiveefootballStreams]

Kheiu Nyuk 😂 My mums favourite

[@flow6564]

My grandparents are hakka, they migrated to Thailand. I had listen about china a lot in childhood from her. Wish i can go there in someday.

[@youtubedeletedmyaccountlma2263]

Not right now man. Because of dozens of situations.

[@kaibotski4939]

I don't think it's a good time to visit China or any time at all. Visit Taiwan instead if you want to meet Hakkas.

[@slc801]

@@kaibotski4939 I have been to shanghai and it is great there ! Your assumption of China is wrong .

[@andromeda582]

Thanks for this. I'm Singaporean Hakka, used to speak it as a child. Our former PM Lee Kuan Yew was also Hakka

[@ethanzombatar]

Proud to be a Singaporean hakka as well, HAKKA POWER FOREVER ❤

[@quentinwong8906]

The Hakkas are amazing people who had a great impact on Chinese civilisation both domestically and abroad. In fact, the Hakkas set up the first ever Chinese republic in Borneo during the Qing dynasty which lasted for a hundred years before Dutch colonisers took them out. Other famous people of Hakka lineage include the Soong sisters, Lee Kwan Yew and Penny Wong.

[@hwasiaqhan8923]

Hakkas are northern Chinese immigrants who basically helped colonise rural areas of southern China, previously a lot of southern natives still occupied rural areas when the Hakka came they often fought.

[@hanzocloud]

@@hwasiaqhan8923 but Hakka are not tall like the northerners, they are actually short like the southerners

[@hwasiaqhan8923]

@@hanzocloud Not really, it depends on the individual, many southerners are tall… and it’s more about the diet, as diet improves people grow taller, Japanese male were by average 146cm in 19th century and they grew significantly taller during and after the Meiji restoration due to improvement of diet with more meat consumption. Would you say the Japanese then and now are unrelated peoples? Obviously not.

[@DragonDreamVNY]

There was a bit on the Hakka people in the Hong Kong history museum, though I'm not sure will they keep the exhibit after the new renovations. Mainly about Hakka Vs Punti people. I noticed quite a bit of the last generation still speak Hakka in the northern/New Territories in Hong Kong. Chow Yun Fat, Alex Man Zi Leung, Eric Tsang, Leslie Cheung are all Hakka - Hong Kong stars. They were quite right or, spoke Hakka to eachother.

[@joshjonson2368]

We hakka are shang di's chosen people 😎

[@Darjeelingla]

As an American Peace Corps volunteer in the 70’s, I lived among the Hakka in Malaysia. Very generous, friendly group.

[@luislau9338]

I am a Hakka, grew up in China and migrated to the USA as an adult. It is not rude to ask a person if he is Hakka. Once we socially engage with an stranger speaking a language other than Hakka, like Cantonese or Mandarin and we notice a Hakka accent or a particular way the individual is pronouncing a word, that give me a glimpse that he might be a Hakka, then I would ask, are you Hakka.

[@seankiong]

those days could be different. like when the hokkien and cantonese is having a civil war.

[@gkheng]

this reminds me ： 内省人&外省人 😂

[@ErniJuliaKok]

LoL, yes, I am Hakka.

[@cheesamcheah7640]

"Are you Hakka" is just a joking way of saying "兄弟你也太寒酸了吧" xD

[@testxxxx123]

my impression as well. I mean why the video assuming Hakka is necessarily poor? I didn't even know there is a stereotype pertaining to Hakka, and I am Chinese loll

[@MrLantean]

The Hakkas are descended from refugees who fled their home in Huang He region of Northern China and migrated south of the Yangtze River during periods of civil unrest. They settled primarily in rugged hilly regions as the flatlands are already settled by the time they arrived. The hard life make the Hakkas very resilient and strived to improve their standard of living. They are willing to leave their homes to seek their fortunes elsewhere even if they have to leave China to go abroad. In China, many political and military leaders are of Hakka descent. Also many successful Overseas Chinese political figures are of Hakka descent.

[@windsong3wong828]

They didn’t settle down south due to civil unrest. The “ barbarians “ came from the north and sacked the capital and was very cruel to the Hakkas. They fled ….

[@Freeman-xm7ug]

Sun yet sun is Hakka or Cantonese ?

[@MrLantean]

@@Freeman-xm7ug His cultural background is Hakka and Cantonese. He is most likely of both Hakka and Cantonese descent. Guangdong has the largest Hakka population in China and is about 60% of the total Hakka population of China.

[@elliekwong3180]

@@windsong3wong828 : Rumor has it that they are the true HAN people.

[@h0kaki]

Both of my parents are hakka from China, they both moved from Hong Kong to South America, then to Europe and now they are back in Hong Kong😂

[@LambentOrt]

There's quite a sizeable Hakka community centered around the city of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia, where I was born and currently live. If you go into the Chinese communities here, a lot of folks proudly speak the Hakka dialect, alongside Mandarin and Cantonese. As for Hakka cuisine and culture, it's true that it is very simple. But we are also a very adaptable people, because we don't belong anywhere... and yet wherever we end up, that is home. And that is all that matters.

[@sususegar]

Hakka from KL here. I went to KK for the first time last year and spoke Hakka to my Grab driver aunty who is actually not Hakka. She said the same thing as you, Hakka is almost a lingua franca among local Chinese. I might consider retiring in Sabah, there is much less racial tension over there!

[@danielzhang1916]

same here in California, many people are half Hakka/Taiwanese, because they intermarried then came over

[@fredtan1506]

It touches my heart everytime, reading about chinese diaspora. I can't imagine how hard life must have been in china for our great, great grandparents over a 100 years ago ( the 8 powers) and risk sending their dear loved ones overseas. It makes me read more about overseas chinese people and chinese history. My ancestors are from Xiamen.

[@QASIMARA]

Touch your heart Taiwan

[@itsoktolovechina]

It took some boats up to month to arrive. Imagine...

[@Amidat]

yes and that's why there was revolution

[@winnieh834]

♥️

[@georgeli3807]

Thanks for putting this video together. Very informative. Am a Hakka too. Parents from Meixian, immigrated to Mauritius and I am now living in Melbourne, Australia. Had a chance to visit my Dad's hometown a few years back. Very emotional welcome from relatives still living there.

[@JieySky]

Grandparents from meixian! Hello from SG =)

[@stevejen3416]

Same here. Taipu Meixian...grandparents

[@Estirvana]

I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS. My neighbours are Hakka and I would often visit their store buying candies like white rabbit or perserved/pickled fruit as a kid. I am extremely happy for them as the last time I visited Mauritius they were able to send their kids to nice western places like Australia. Mauritius is built on immigrants and I have seen so many hard working people from different cultures. I won't lie, it has been difficult me for me as I can feel generations of social pressure as I am the first truly educated person in my family line. I am.. too familiar with saving face. I hope you're doing well.

[@sjelucten7150]

Your parents might know Hakka family in Mauritius Tzang Man Poen.

[@pharmacist5884]

Hakka Chinese has preserved much of the ancient Tang sound from which Korean and Japanese derived their Chinese loanwords from. For example: Mandarin for Japan is Riben while the Japanese say: Nippon. In Hakka this is Ngit Poon (very close to Nippon). There are many examples of Korean and Japanese loanwords that does not resemble Mandarin pronunciation at all, but are strikingly the same when pronounced in Hakka Chinese giving proof Hakka Chinese is much closer to the ancient Tang language than Mandarin.

[@yeahboi7562]

Didnt know that. Thanks.

[@timetraveller2300]

nope. very subjective and misleading. actually in Wu dialect Japan also sounds like nippon.

[@DragonDreamVNY]

Southern Hakka sounds nothing like the northern 🤔 at least my mum understands none when documentaries on Hakka in the central/northern mainland were shown back in the day. Current Hakka has borrowed a lot from Cantonese too, maybe from other dialects in the Guongdong region.

[@wwei4194]

That actually applies to a lot of other chinese dialect too.

[@lemon2524]

A lot of southern dialects are old Chinese so the language is similar.

[@mattchen6137]

Cool video bro. Im hakka born Canadian, parents are hakka Jamaicans. Lol we travel for sure!!! Love yall hakka's 😏😜😊

[@BenebellWen]

I'm currently binge watching all your videos. Love this channel so much! Hakka Taiwanese here. 😉

[@Asianometry]

Thanks for watching! I enjoyed learning about your people!

[@xijinping9961]

Ngai oi nyi 😘

[@machao2279]

@@xijinping9961 nyi jiw lo pho liau...🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@xijinping9961]

@@machao2279 mang jiu le, han tan sa le

[@koollookbali3379]

A wen ...nyi an ciang. Ho..😁 (Halka singkawang-Bali)

[@PeterSimonYiu]

Thank you. I am a 2nd generation HAKKA residing in Singapore. My parents were from Southern China, they migrated to Singapore maybe in the early 1930. Remember the animosity with the other Chinese during my growing up year. Have to learn to fight to survive in that kind of environment then. Today this is no longer the case as there are many HAKKA ladies married to other Chinese sub group.

[@celestialstar124]

Agreed

[@user-wd1yv9rx3e]

As a taiwanese hoklo, i have to say hakka are good leaders, hoklo on the other hand are successful business people but we fail at politics, we cant rule ourselves, its better when theres a hakka in charge despite we cant get along sometimes, singapore, 東寧王國,蘭芳共和國 are the best example

[@mystyk5896]

Im malaysian of indian ancestry. I love our local Hakka cuisines especially the Hakka noodles. We malaysians of indian ancestry love Chinese food in general. You can see an interestingly obvious pattern of diners in our local chinese restaurants in terms of timing due to cultural difference in the time each ethnicity eats their dinner. 6-8pm chinese having dinner, 8-10pm indians having dinner, 10-closing chinese having supper with our indian uncles drinking beer...lol

[@user-lt5no1xt1z]

தமிழா தலைவா நீங்க?

[@Bluebeanzz]

I'm a Hopo Hakka 河婆客家 from Sarawak, Malaysia...

[@doriswaddington2418]

I am Hakka too from Kuching Sarawak but has lived in New Zealand and England. Now in Cambridge Uk

[@Zakaius]

O hopoh hak! Chika ngin!

[@jiraiya80]

Im Fujian Hakka from Selangor

[@franshady1042]

Im Hakka from Bali Island, Indonesia

[@ukazap]

Nyi ho mo?

[@peterthien1297]

From time immemorials, Chinese people have writen history about their past adventures! But where are the records of Hakka 's history of their being in China. As a small boy in the 1940s I heard story of how Hakka fougt against the Mongolian invasion of China by a fellow Hakka from Canton Province from where my Grandparents who were cheated to migrate to Sabon, British North Borneo to work on the estate to clear the Jungles to plant rubber trees. To prove my ancestor Home land; their home was Boklo, Sakpar, Lunsui hang, Canton .

[@franshady1042]

@@ukazap Im good. I cant speak either Mandarin or Hakka.

[@fradesjo]

Sit pau mang, Ako?

[@mollyliew4506]

@@peterthien1297 in .

[@alliee7433]

Thank you...very informative and easy listen for those who are interested in learning about Hakka People. I am 2nd generation Chinese American from Meixian. My mother who spoke Hakka Cantonese in Chinatown was ridiculed by the toishan and punti canto speaking ppl. In my youth I remember feeling embarrassed and responded to her canto in public. As I became an adult I realized that it was sadly due to their ignorance and fear of something unfamiliar to them. HAKKA people stand proud of our unique and colorful heritage. There’s a vlog on famous HAKKA people.

[@weili1351]

First gen from Meixian in Michigan, still speak Meixian Hakka dialect with my father, brother and cousins in Toronto, New Jersey etc. Have to encourage my first gen American son and daughter learn Mandarin instead of Hakka since it's more useful for them. Unfortunately I am not good with Mandarin either since I was brought up in English language schools and did not have special education in Mandarin.

[@rockets3744]

Hey I’m 4th generation from meixian (meizhou) too. I’m in Canada tho what a small world!

[@VgoldV]

I remember Hakka people in Toishan living in these long boats with black cloth tops along the rivers. I believe they were mainly fishermen. I am curious where they migrated to since I didn't noticed any left when I visited.

[@feifeijay]

@@rockets3744 i live in canada too

[@hujanair2]

Holyshit me too. I'm 2nd gen also from meixian, but i live in indonesia. My grandfather was cantonese.

[@liongrose1173]

I m Hakka Ngin , 客家人。Its our dialect , so happened to rhyme the same as Cantonese. Hokkien called us Khek lang....

[@simonlaw7011]

@@carnival5925 I am Mway Yen Hakka living in Los Angeles , California

[@chinkayeok6117]

And Hakka generally good at foreign languages too.

[@amywirth1479]

One of my parents are half Hakka half Jamaican and i want to learn more about Hakka culture

[@KCDisney1]

Wow, that's why I want to learn aswell, because my dad side of the family are Jamaican Chinese.

[@jewellui]

Your Hakka side is your mothers or fathers side?

[@lesstalk9287]

Me too but never met my father whom was Hakka.

[@DragonDreamVNY]

Wow that's quite a good mix. I've distant relatives who are Surinam/Dutch/Hakka Chinese mix. 🤔

[@Amidat]

@@KCDisney1 Most of the Chinese that went to Jamaica were Hakka... Not all - but most

[@franzthegardener6978]

I am Hakka and I currently live in Malacca, Malaysia. My family originally was from a town further north called Kajang. I still speak Hakka relatively fluent. However both my kids are unable to speak it.

[@ygus3030]

Popular Hakka food is Lui Cha, consist of a soup made of tea leaf and peanut, with many type of veggies toping. In SE Asia, it is added with dried Shrimp and Anchovy fish (ikan bilis/teri, dried small fish).

[@nfspbarrister5681]

Well, many Hakka royalties married to our elder kingdom and empire royalties in Majapahit and Kutai Kertanegara days, so Hakka people already rooted in Indonesia since 12-13 AD. Their cuisine are the basic of many our traditional cuisine. We often called them "peranakan" alongside the Kek, the Cantons etc.

[@SoldierAndrew]

The Hakka also had very unique, strong, martial arts that they cultivated in order to defend themselves from bigoted attackers whom targeted them for being Hakka. Their round castle community buildings were tactically built for defense against violent assault groups. Smart, very strong, people.

[@lukelazarusarnold5614]

Thanks for this informative video. My wife is Hakka and our children are half-Hakka - the video will help us learn more about this heritage.

[@allenlai8540]

I’m a Hakka born in Taiwan, actually we are quite proud of being Hakka.

[@HKChineseCanadian]

I am Hakka from Meizhou, Guangdong. That was actually my Grandparents who left for Hong Kong, Taiwan and now settle in Toronto for the past 60 years. The Hakka are all over the world and the food is divine. I find Hakka women quite attractive compared to other Cantonese and Fujianese women if that makes sense. Hakka are fiercely proud of being traditional Chinese. They are represented in all level of Chinese government due to their respect for higher education. I wonder how long this Hakka distinction will last since language education, wealth, transportation and widespread pop culture seem to be making Chinese all over the world very homogeneous.

[@hankeat]

@@dlk3904 I thought Cantonese was the one that losing by one vote.

[@taichiwinchester1102]

@@hankeat There's also a version of it for Southwestern Mandarin. I think those are just myth. To be fair Southwestern Mandarin is the largest subgroup of Mandarin and it's surprisingly resilient to the official Mandarin dialect.

[@user-pd8te1vv7r]

Even in taiwan there isnt much people speaking Hakka anymore. I am an overseas taiwanese and my grandparents never really taught me which us quite a shame. Less and less people willing to learn this language

[@rockets3744]

I’m part Hakka and my family is from meixian (meizhou), gaundong too !!! They immigrated to Laos and then we settled in Vancouver Canada. Im bragging but I think my family is pretty attractive compare to other Chinese. What a small world!!

[@QASIMARA]

🇬🇧🇨🇦🇹🇼🇺🇲🇳🇿🇰🇷🇯🇵🇭🇲

[@bennettbullock9690]

Also, I remember living in Guangdong hearing the story of a Pakistani who effortlessly learned Mandarin and various dialects. A serious point of admiration for a gwailou who struggled with Mandarin for two years, and who could only bust out the Cantonese in heated moments. But one thing that dumbfounded people was that he learned "kejiahua", Hakka.

[@danielzhang1916]

some Hakka migrated to India, so he might have learned it from the community there

[@EddyWoon]

Thank you. My paternal grandparents are Hakka and they came from Shanghai, moved to Malaysia where both my father and myself were born. We then moved to Singapore and then to Australia. Reportedly when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I could speak Hakka quite well. I am now trying to learn it again after not using it for about 40 years. I now live and work in a small country town where I am the sole Chinese guy, consequently I can say that every Chinese in my town is a Hakka.

[@alisv4817]

Can I ask which country town is this in Australia?

[@jordanchin1681]

Thank you for making this video of our people. Really appreciate what you do.

[@mkchong9393]

It's good to learn the history of my ancestors.. Love: Hakka from Malaysia 🇲🇾

[@gofitness4284]

Hi fellow hakka from Malaysia 😁😁

[@sorafromgenshin]

hey teach me i want to speak hakka with my boss lol

[@weixiang6240]

@@sorafromgenshin you can say "Ji Pek" to your boss😜 it a way of greeting for us in hakka.

[@SunnyIlha]

You have very noticeable Hakka ancestry shaped eyebrows, and high round forehead, and upside down water droplet face shape. Very beautiful. I'm Hakka too, my grandfather. I'm born in Hawai'i, third generation Hawai'i Islander. I have only brothers, (all boys, siblings), but if I had sister, she would look just like you.

[@SunnyIlha]

There are many Hakka with Chong name in Hawai'i. I found it good to learn more about Hakka history here, too.

[@lohphat]

My great grandparents were Hakka from Guangdong and settled in Honolulu about 1903. He was a well-known herbalist and all of his children did well in professional careers as he was came from an educated family. Today we have hundreds of cousins in Hawaii and on the Mainland US.

[@foonlam7134]

I am third generation Hakka Malaysian who now lives in New Zealand. Although we are far from our land of origin, our parents have always made sure that they passed on our Hakka culture and language to us. But alas being overseas nowadays means that most of our children speak English instead of Hakka.

[@wolfy8006]

Hakka here. I grew up in New Zealand but moved back to Taiwan. My family is is from hsichu, and have been in here for 26 generation.

[@leeronald1461]

Water is always flowing so long it is water. Know the source that continues to flow is good.

[@CashCatMoney]

Trying to track down my ancestry so I found this very helpful! I connect more to my Cambodian half, so I need to play catchup on this side of my family!

[@PandaPhied]

u missed out 1 of the famous & distinctive Hakka cuisine - Lei Cha... fragrant tea mixed with lots of different veggies & rice... not everyone enjoys it but for those who do, it's awesome & nothing else comes close...

[@veronicayong9067]

lei cha my favourite too

[@IsaacChickenWong]

Thank you for making this video. I shared it with my online English teacher in South Africa. And we also found out there are a lot of Hakka people in South Africa.

[@kachunlay697]

I'm a Hakka Ngai from Norway! great video!

[@vipcimay33]

Hakka ngai here too bro in the us

[@jtong1278]

There's a lot of Timorese Lay in Melbourne Australia

[@Life-oo2tr]

My maternal grandfather was Hakka from Fujian province. He ran away to Malaysia, as many Hakka have. He married my grandmother, who is Kristang. When I go back to Malaysia, I always look forward to eating Hakka cuisine. I really think it's the best cuisine!

[@The_Youth_Nation]

I am also Hakka, my grandfather was from Mei Xian. There are so many Hakka people here in West Kalimantan Island, Indonesia. Here we speak two different hakka dialects, and these two dialects slightly different intonation to the hakka that are still in mainland china.

[@zl9764]

The Hakka are extremely welcoming people!!! Hakka people treat ‘strangers’ that are also Hakka as family instantly when they meet

[@djohanarifin1617]

i agree, as i experienced when meeting a hakkanese in Thailand, when he knew i am also a hakkanese during chatting then he rejected when i wanted to pay the bill of a dinner in his restaurant !

[@kinseenkok7625]

The founder of modern China, Dr Sun Yet Sen is a Hakka. So are the three famous Song sister (one married Chiang Kai Sek and one to Dr Sun Yet Sen). Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew is also a Hakka.

[@chongkiampin3844]

I am a Hakka, my children are the 3rd generation, since my father settled in the then Malaya. Hakkas may not be rich, they are mostly small time shop keepers,(commonly operating textile and TCM business) but they strongly believe in education and they produce such prominent administrators like Lee Kuan Yew, and Teng Siowpin. One popular Hakka cuisine that spreads around the world is youngtaufu i.e.Tofu stuffed with fish and pork spiced with salt fish( is the authentic type) Malaysia KP

[@sinOsiris]

Hakka the China largest ethnic group here in state of Sabah are kind with good demeanour and traits

[@AzariusR]

Hello fellow Sabahan

[@dtbetter2277]

Thanks for the video. I’m Hakka but never learn to speak it. Looking forward to more videos.

[@Asianometry]

Many of these distinct dialects are dying out as people transition to standard northern mandarin. It’s quite sad.

[@enzoh7763]

@@Asianometry , That's a sad reality, many distinct dialect and sub-dialect, are going out of existence. . In my family, we speak our hakka dialect at home .

[@KCDisney1]

My dads side of the family are Jamaican Chinese and I think I learnt that in Jamaica, most Chinese Jamaicans are Hakka. So its possible I have Hakka ancestry

[@Asianometry]

That’s pretty interesting. Thanks for sharing

[@neeneepatrice]

Same here!

[@gofitness4284]

I wonder why there is so much hakka in Jamaica ? Any specific reason?

[@megariesta]

@@gofitness4284 same, I’m wondering the same thing too

[@jewellui]

Interesting surprised a few people mentioned Jamaica on this video

[@KaranSingh-hi1nz]

Respect for this channel I'm learning so much right now.

[@ianthesiow3013]

TQ for this content. It is very informative. Appreciate it. I am a Chinese Hakka from Malaysia. Keep up the great work. Cheers.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

7:33 In 🇲🇾 there is a town called Taiping. I was told it means “peace forever”. Its founding (or at least renaming?) was part of the settlement of a long-running feud between two different groups of Chinese migrants in the area.

[@catmatism]

I'm a hakka in Singapore. I think we don't care about where we came from anymore. Asking about whether you're hakka, Cantonese, hokkien is just to ask what dialect we speak.

[@hasanchoudhury5401]

Great subject and detailed discussions. Most informative. Much appreciated. Regards. Thanks.

[@declangraham1864]

As part Hakka Jamaican thank you for making this video always wanted to reconnect with my roots so videos like this are a good start.

[@celestialstar124]

It's never rude to ask any han people if they are hakka. To us, it's just our dialect n the state our ancestors are from. It's just like asking someone are u from italy or france.

[@tiennyfrancislatif1188]

Thank you very much for the research and explaining this. Now I know half of my ancestors' history. I miss Hakka food.

[@alexfang6784]

Thanks for the history! This video should get more views.

[@MudaSHoleProductions]

Third gen Hakka with my gramps hailing from the Meixian region of Guangdong. Also, first gen Chinese American here in the US. Great vid that summarizes the history and movement of our peoples!

[@kimwoo8870]

Hakka is NOT a Cantonese pronunciation. It's pronunciation in Hakka itself. And Hakka is NOT Guest House. It is Guest People period. Hak = Guest, Ka = A group of people. 家 (Ka) as in 大家, 家族and NOT as in 住家! Nevertheless, thanks for producing this meaningful video. 🙏

[@chinitaensudamerica]

Thanks for this. My dad's side of the family is Hakka but I never really got to learn about the history.

[@skywatcherc5209]

Thanks for the informative subject about Hakka People & culture. You missed the famous dish was a steam salted chicken, simple pound cake made of flour and sugar…, I wish that I can practice Hakka speaking again with someone. I am retired for almost 4 years now, I would like to relive my Hakka speaking family. I used to live with my grandmother, she only spoke Hakka with me, now when I hear people speaking Hakka I like to listen & learn again. Does anybody know an app for learning Hakka?

[@jvp9703]

My father comes from a Hakka family. They lived in Vietnam when he was a child but were driven out and relocated to Guangxi China in the 80s. Being poor is definitely an accurate description! Though not so much these days, the government has really improved their living standards a lot. They follow a strict patriarchal family order and funeral rites are also very odd, my grandmother's bones need to be dug up and reburied after a certain amount of time has passed.

[@winnieh834]

Wow

[@elliekwong3180]

@jvp: My father was the only son. He had to dig up his grandfather's grave after one year. He, then gathered the bones and reburied his grandfather. He said it was tradition. He is not a Hakka, but a Cantonese. In those days, they didn't bury the dead right away. The family had to sit by the dead for a week, with the smell of death. Now, they don't allow this practice.

[@ghostoperationswithcheukgu9844]

I'm part hokkien and I'm part hakka Born on Taiwanese soil raised in Hong Kong grew up in Australia And matured in Singapore

[@huangsam00]

Ouch man you are complicated!

[@alanfarlie9807]

I’m hakka from Bangka Island, Indonesia

[@tonydelphi4961]

I've a hakka friend in Vancouver Canada was born in

[@lilydev2808]

The Hakka people established Kuala Lumpur as a town a century past. The Hakka were involved in all major rebellions in Chinese history.

[@trinawong8273]

Great fighters...

[@liewskincare]

It's so interesting to learn about the culture, because I can't find a lot about Hakka history. Unfortunately I don't speak Hakka very well anymore 😔

[@ErniJuliaKok]

Hi, Yulie, my child and his generation also speak poorly. Don't worry, Mandarin is quite similar to Hakka.

[@wt4397]

same here not the best but i know i will survie in hakka town 😄 growing up in sweden

[@danielzhang1916]

Hakka were not recorded in the migrations, so it's mostly pieced together through oral history and stuff

[@thomaszan3153]

underrated channel

[@seankiong]

i totally agreed when OP said we "hakka" is like gypsy. Hakka meant "Guest Family/Brotherhood", they move around for trading and surviving that meant they do not actually have a permanent place. so we basically is a guest of all people/culture

[@hyphen2612]

Early Hakka settlement in Taiwan was very brutal. They were in a losing conflict with the Minan Han people as soon as they arrived, which drove them into the more mountainous regions of the island. As such they had to deal with the unwelcoming (the head-chopping kind) aboriginals and also all kinds of tropical diseases.

[@frikandelkroket9335]

Hakka Netherlands 🇳🇱!!!!! Protect Hakka for the next generation.

[@trustnoone318]

In England the 2nd generation of hakka children dont or cant Speak Hakka but understand hakka and the 3rd generation cant speak or understand hakka language

[@fawaka6664]

Your parents surely come from Suriname or have been there?

[@chanboonyee6788]

MOST HAKKA WOMEN IN MALAYSIA HAVE INTERMARRIED WITH INDIAN MEN.MAYBE,THEY PREFER INDIAN MEN.

[@seankiong]

@@trustnoone318 same here, i can understand but not able to speak. due to my mom and dad communicate with use in cantonese.

[@seankiong]

@@chanboonyee6788 not that i know of, but i happen to have a lot of indian friends. i guess we are just friendly without boundary

[@lees7340]

My Hakka widowed great grandmother and grand father left China for Malaysia(the British colonized Street Settlement then) in the early 1900s. My Hakka grand mother came later as the bride for my grand father. They settled in a village with 90% Hakka, everyone speaks Hakka there. I grew up there and spoke Hakka with my grand mother.

[@testxxxx123]

There are many Hakka in my province, but they aren't assumed to be poor or special, except they get some additional scores during college entrance exam. And I am from Sichuan.

[@tokorojj]

Great content. Love your channel. Thank you so much.

[@Laura-sw5sy]

I am indonesian, my family from my father side is hakka. Every chinese new year when we got together, my grandmother would made that braised pork belly with fermented veggies 12:35 so cool to learn about my ancestor. My surname is Yap. Like if youre Yap too 😄

[@edwwong1003]

Yap by default is hakka, Yip by default is Cantonese

[@jadehalls5169]

Chinese HAKKA are very GENEROUS and LOYAL.

[@ErniJuliaKok]

We love to share food with others. Right? The powerful question to ask is: Have you eaten?

[@PChan-yt4uf]

@@ErniJuliaKok That is the powerful question for every Chinese dialect group. It is not Hakka specific. All Chinese, regardless of dialect group or clan has an obsession with food.

[@jackjackyphantom8854]

@@PChan-yt4uf Chinese are arrogant!

[@quriousmikey2433]

Thank you! Fun to watch and learn.

[@orlogskapten4161]

Here representing the Miaoli Hakka, from Taiwan. Awesome video, always great to refresh my historical memory. I'm half Hakka, and on my mother's side, it's all Hakka.

[@christong888]

Thanks for the interesting video about the origins of the Hakka. I think you should of discussed the 5th migration of Hakka to areas all around the world whether it be the US, or throughout the British Commonwealth realms (through Hong Kong), throughout Portuguese territories (through Macau) or elsewhere. Also at the end, I don't think cultural appropriation is a real thing since all cultures relate to each other and gain/lose something whether it be ideas/customs/traditions/beliefs in that interaction between the 2; after all, all cultures are capable of adaptation to suite their needs.

[@Asianometry]

The Chinese overseas diaspora is interesting but I don’t have anything to add right now about it. The video by Wendover Productions about the Hong Kong handover is nice though.

[@djintotjandra247]

NGAI HE HAKKA NGIN. THANKS FOR THE VIDEO. YOU ARE AWESOME...:-)

[@alainlie729]

ngai yu he!

[@PlanetFrosty]

Thank you, as I prepare to go to Taiwan that is good to know. Very interesting about the culture and history.

[@trinawong8273]

I am 3 rd generation Hakka. My grand father hailed from Guangdong to Perak, Malaysia. He sent for my grandmother later and had twelve children. Both were honourable members of the Hakka Association in Taiping and Singapore. My grand father had numerous plantation and husbandry business as well as a Foundry. The machineries were taken away by the Japanese when Malaysia was invaded. The family lost their wealth after but we were all safe and still have our ancestral home and plantation and a few shoplots. My father married last and late so even my nieces and nephews are older than me. Now everything is gone as our ancestral home and land acquired by the Government to make way for a highway.

[@exposingproxystalkingorgan4164]

KZbin is like going to free college and you learn new topics all the time. The only thing you don't get is an expensive piece of paper with official seals.

[@jaimeeleebaggley]

Great video, thanks so much for it. Hakka in Canada!

[@suryadixl9410]

he mo?

[@Tewhill357]

Super informative. I had heard the term before but was unclear of the meaning. As usual, it's complicated. Thanks.

[@danielzhang1916]

not many people know about it, some confuse it with Hokkien or something else

[@sungyenling]

I am of Hakka descent living in Vancouver, BC :). My great grandparents from both sides of my parents are from Meixian. My great grandmother from my mom's side first immigrated to Mauritius then to Jakarta, Indonesia. My great grandfather from my dad's side migrated to West Kalimantan, Indonesia. I was born in Jakarta, but my parents migrated to Canada. I like to think of them as modern day nomadic Hakka people :').

[@rock3times]

You forget two famous hakka, lee kwan yew of Singapore and Chow yunfat of Hong Kong.

[@chinjeechin8586]

Hey we are not thrifty! Wife: “No hubby, you guys are 🙄” Hakka from Malaysia checking in.

[@weimorefun]

Thank you for this video that I can explain to my foreign friends about my heritage, Love from Taiwan!

[@jwd2690]

Outstanding video !

[@user-ub7bx4td2l]

There is an ongoing joke in Taiwan that the Hakka people are "thrifty". There are so many memes based on this lol. And as a half Hakka I find them amusing.

[@danshakuimo]

I used to think being thrifty was characteristic of Chinese culture as a whole (I guess compared to Americans it is still) but maybe it's more characteristic of Hakka specifically. Then again I would think a lot of the Chinese people I know are probably at least part Hakka, and I suspect that I am also.

[@danielzhang1916]

@@danshakuimo it is Chinese culture as a whole, our ancestors remember all the wars and famine, we were taught to save for the future

[@unclehuang6809]

greeting from west borneo indonesia , we are here so many hakka people in west borneo province, indonesia.

[@mistayuto]

Great insightful video. I have recently met a girl who is Hakka so this was quite educational. Thanks.

[@yooncheanggmail2188]

Nice I appreciated your sharing 👍

[@1changi]

The current Prime Minister of Singapore is a Hakka. He has led the country well. His father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, needless to say is a Hakka, he is considered one of the world's greatest political leader with far-sighted vision and implementation with this team of cabinet ministers and civil service bringing the country from third world to first world status.

[@slc801]

LKY one of the greatest leaders in modern times 👍🏼

[@user-vr4np8ti2q]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂