Chinese Culture

Ganzhou - the Hakka's New England

2004-11-25 15:07:00 CRIENGLISH.com

Ganzhou city, in Jiangxi Province, is not only the first place where ancient Hakka people settled after their migration from northern China, but also, arguably the dwelling place of ancient Chinese culture. The Hakka are ethnically Han, and were originally active around the Yellow River area during a period buried so far in the past that they are thought to be some of the earliest "Han" settlers in China. One theory has it that the early migratory Hakka were noblemen of royal blood, but theirs was not necessarily a noble heritage that made it to Ganzhou intact and unsullied. It is highly likely that whilst the Hakka carefully nurtured their Han roots, they also married other ethnic groups as well as forming their own unique habits during what turned out to be a 2000 year long migratory history. Indeed, it was because of the infusion of other ethnic groups from the northwest, north and northeast that these original settlers gradually migrated south and settled in Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong. It was after their move to these new homes that they received the name of Hakka, a word used by the locals which simply means "guest (tribe)."

he forebears of today's Hakka community left behind all kinds of local customs, historical relics and architecture in Ganzhou. It is the latter category that contains within its structure perhaps the most representative remains of the Hakka: the Encircling Houses. The defensive design of these residential dwellings shed some light on the fluctuating fortunes of the Hakka. When they first moved to Fujian, they served as imperial court officials, and could afford to build very extravagant houses modeled upon the imperial court. However as time passed, the Hakka began to lose the support of the imperial court, and found themselves having to compete with locals, on what were ostensibly equal grounds. Bereft of the blessing and protection of the emperor, who was himself in trouble, they were often attacked by locals. The result was the aforementioned encircling house, a very defensive structure designed to fend off the locals.

For many years, the authorities of Ganzhou have dedicated much time to the protection and repair of Hakka cultural relics. Much money has accompanied the time spent on projects such as the renovation of various encircling houses, a project which has helped restore the Guanxi Encircling House to its original form and appearance. Besides this, the city has also raised funds of over 10 million Yuan to repair the Confucian Temple and Ciyun Pagoda as well as to refurbish and restore buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, ancient housing known as "Bailu". The government is also engaged in the development, and hopefully, historical preservation of two roads, Nanshi Street and Zaoer Lane. The aim is to make Zaoer Lane into a traditional commercial street with local flavor, and similarly to make Nanshi Street into a cultural street with various exhibitions and private collections. Hopefully, the local authorities have learned to avoid the mistakes of cities such as Tianjin and Chengdu, whose expensive, modern, but completely cultureless "culture streets," should serve as a cautionary tale for any city planner.

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