A documentary produced by the Government Information Office (GIO) and released yesterday has been called a significant step forward for Hakka culture.
The documentary video is called Taiwan's Hakka People (
Hakkas, a sub-ethnic group of the Han people, formed a cultural identity about 1,700 years ago when wars and upheavals forced this group from northern China to go south.
The video introduces the different types of Hakka people in Taiwan, by highlighting their different beliefs, architecture, industries and culture.
Because their customs were different from Chinese in the south they were called "guests" -- which is what Hakka literally means.
Taiwan's Hakka people came from different places in China at different times, but a large number migrated to Taiwan after 1666 when most of the plains were occupied by Hokkien people -- the main sub-ethnic group of Han people in Taiwan.
The Hakka people were forced to settle areas at the base of mountains and in hills already settled by Aborigines.
Taiwan's Hakka people can be divided according to dialects, which are named after the areas in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces in China, where the groups originally came from.
Hakka in Kaohsiung and Pingtung speak the Four Counties Hakka dialect (四縣客語). The Hakka in central Taiwan are divided into two sub-groups: the Zhaoan Hakka (詔安客語) of Yunlin County and Dapu Hakka (大埔客語) of Taichung County.
Hakka in northern Taiwan originate from several groups. In Miaoli County are the Four Counties Hakka; Hsinchu County is home to the Haifeng and Lufeng Hakka (
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