Candid camera

The Hakka people first began settling in Taiwan in the 18th century, bringing with them their unique culture. The word Hakka (客家) was adopted from Cantonese and means "guests of the land" as the diasporic group had migrated in waves from its homeland. It is fitting that a photography exhibit about Hakka culture would be a traveling exhibit.

A Century of Hakka Images opened last Saturday at the Tuniu Hakka Cultural Hall (土牛客家文化館) in Shihkang (石岡), where 180 photographs taken by 31 photographers over the last 100 years are on view until April 8. The exhibition will then travel to 11 other Hakka museums or halls throughout Taiwan until the end of the year.

Tuniu Hall was recently rebuilt in the form of a traditional Hakka housing complex after the 921 earthquake destroyed its former structure. Two buildings are used to display the photographs and the exhibit is broken down into five periods presented chronologically.

Beginning at the end of the 19th century, the first section covers the first twenty-five years of Japanese colonialism. As the Japanese exerted greater control over Taiwan, competition between the Minnan and Hakka groups for resources resulted in the latter moving further inland. The photographs of this period are predominately images of farmers working in rice fields or family groups shown in front of their recently built homes.

The emphasis on temporary settlement in the first period gives way in the second section (1930-1940) to depictions of more sedentary lifestyles. Education becomes an important cultural development and the earlier settlements are replaced with more permanent structures such as large family homes and schools.

The emphasis on children pictured in front of schools or doing exercises with a stern teacher looking on, rather than farmers working the fields, reveals how the Hakka looked beyond the land to make their livelihood.

War is the theme of the third period (1940s-1950s), with photos of young men shown going off to fight for the Japanese and the arrival of the Chinese Nationalist Party.

The juxtaposition of traditional farming practices with urban landscapes forms the fourth section (1960s-1980s) in which the widening gap between traditional land-based culture and educated elite is brought to life.

Where the earlier periods overwhelmingly show agricultural images, the final period (1988-present) shows a people confident in its cultural heritage. From pictures taken at protests to protect the Hakka language to the many cultural festivals, the viewer becomes intimately aware of the momentous changes that have shaped Hakka culture over the past 100 years.

The hall that houses the photos also has a permanent collection of Hakka artifacts, which provides context to the exhibition. Though each picture is clearly labeled in Chinese, English and Japanese, the exhibition would benefit greatly if some detailed information relating Hakka culture to other ethnic groups in Taiwan had been provided.