Hakka Research Articles

Documentary images and religious communication: the ritual transmission and functional imagination of Tua Pek Kong worship of Hakka people in Southeast Asia

Documentary images and religious communication: the ritual transmission and functional imagination of Tua Pek Kong worship of Hakka people in Southeast Asia

Phonetic features of the Hakka dialect of the Chinese language of Mei County

Phonetic features of the Hakka dialect of the Chinese language of Mei County

Computer Bibliometric Analysis of Hakka Dialect Phonetics Based on Citespace and VOSviewer

The findings of research on Hakka dialect phonetics has mainly been published in the form of journal papers, dissertations and monographs. With "China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)" and "Duxiu Academic Search" as data sources, in this work, relevant research reports on the phonetics of Hakka dialect in the 30-year period from 1993 to 2023 were collected, which included 186 journal papers, 79 dissertations and 36 academic monograph. Firstly, bibliometric analyses were used by Citespace and VOSviewer on computer; then, EXCEL was employed for collecting and sorting out the general situation of the thesis and evaluating the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The goal was to investigate the general research on Hakka dialect phonetics in the past 30 years as comprehensively as possible, reveal the development trend of Hakka dialect phonetics objectively and scientifically to provide theoretical basis for the development of new research directions in the future, and provide data support for the development and utilization of Hakka dialect language conservation project resources

ASOMROF: A Transmedia Project of Sci-Fi Content Inspied by the Local Ethnic History for Technology Art Works

This communication depicts the evolution and transmedia of science fiction content inspired by the immigration and land reclamation history of early Hakka people who arrived in Taiwan from China in the 17th century for technology art works, including a dancing performance that combines virtual and real dancers in real-time, as well as an augmented reality exhibition. For early determined cooperation, the project was set to be related to Hakka culture. The Hakka are one of two major ethnic groups of Han Chinese immigrants who arrived in Taiwan around the 17th century, after the Hokkien, the other major ethnic group of Han Chinese. The history of Hakka immigration and reclamation, as well as the conflict between Hakka, Hokkien, and indigenous people in Taiwan, were found to be intriguing enough to be adapted into a science fiction scenario, with the consideration of how similar the situation will be in the future when human interplanetary immigrants arrive on a new distant planet, a metaphor for the Hakka people. The story of conflict and cooperation between new immigrants, previous settlers, and original inhabitants possibly echo the collective memory of ethnic groups in eastern Asia. Furthermore, the sci-fi scenarios are expanded and adapted as a novel and manga in text and graphic form based on scientific knowledge, in keeping with the current transmedia trend in the entertainment industry.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 gene rs671 G>A polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of digestive tract cancer.

Acetaldehyde can accumulate in cells and form acetaldehyde-DNA adducts that result in digestive tract cancer development. Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) enzymatic activity is involved in this process. Here, we aimed to analyze the relationship between an ALDH2 gene polymorphism and the digestive tract cancer risk in the Hakka population in China. This was a retrospective study, with the ALDH2 rs671 genotype and medical record information collected from all subjects. The relationships between these factors, including various blood cell parameters, and digestive tract cancer susceptibility were analyzed. Overall, 307 cancer patients and 317 controls were included. The cancer patients had significantly higher percentages with a history of smoking and drinking alcohol, as well as an increased platelet to lymphocyte ratio and lower lymphocyte to monocyte ratio, compared with the controls. The ALDH2 rs671 genotype and allele distributions were significantly different between the cancer patients and controls. Logistic regression analysis showed that the ALDH2 G/A genotype (G/A vs. G/G) and A/A genotype (A/A vs. G/G) in the co-dominant mode were risk factors for digestive tract cancer susceptibility. ALDH2 rs671 G/A or A/A genotype carriers may have an increased risk of developing digestive tract cancers among the Hakka people.

Feed plants, ethnoveterinary medicine, and biocultural values: insights on the Luchuan pig from Hakka communities in China

BackgroundThe Luchuan pig is an indigenous breed from Luchuan County, China, with cultural and genetic significance. However, traditional knowledge and conservation status have not been systematically documented.MethodsUsing ethnobiological methods, we surveyed 72 Luchuan pig farmers in 7 townships during 2021–2023. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were conducted to document traditional knowledge and management practices.ResultsThe locals reported 51 plant species used as pig feed, with 30 wild species. Growth-stage-specific feeding and seasonal adjustment practices were documented. We recorded 62 ethnoveterinary plant uses, mainly for treating pigs' heat stress and skin conditions. Luchuan pigs play central roles in local Hakka customs, rituals, and cuisine. Additonally, the new ecological farming models minimize the environmental impacts to the local community. However, there are still some challenges remained for conserving and promoting Luchuan pigs.ConclusionsThe Luchuan Hakka people possess rich traditional knowledge and management experience in raising Luchuan pigs. Our study provides extensive documentation of traditional knowledge and recommends integrating cultural and genetic aspects for sustaining this biocultural heritage. Findings can inform initiatives supporting local breed conservation globally.

Tone Morphemes in Sinitic: Where Prosody Meets Morphology

Tone morphemes are used in the coding of a variety of grammatical functions in Sinitic languages: These include plural formation of personal pronouns, the diminutive forms of nouns, as well as different kinds of perfective and completive aspect marking, reported for dialects located in non-contiguous areas of China in the north and the south. With respect to verbal morphology, we first examine the different processes and stages of morphologization between the Yue and Hakka dialects, on the one hand, and Northern Sinitic on the other. Second, we propose the pathway of evolution that leads to the pluralization of Sinitic pronouns by tone morphemes, as well as the pathway that leads to tone morphemes coding perfective aspect in Yue and Hakka.

Bobai Hakka weaving: plant diversity, traditional culture, and a model for rural revitalization.

The Hakka people, a branch of the Han nationality with their own language, culture, and customs, are one of the largest immigrant groups worldwide, primarily distributed in southern China. Bobai, a county with the largest Hakka population globally, has a thriving weaving industry that is one of the local pillar industries. This study aimed to systematically analyze the plant source, product function, and development model of Bobai Hakka weaving. The study recorded 33 plant species for weaving, which belonged to 17 families and 27 genera. The weaving plants were mainly bamboo, rattan, grass, and wood, with herbs being the most commonly used (15 species, 45.5%). Most weaving plants were obtained locally (16 species, 41.0%) and from wild sources (13 species, 33.3%). Stems were the most commonly used plant parts (66.7%) in local weaving, followed by leaf sheaths, inflorescence stems, leaves, stem bark, leaf rachis, and female bracts. Additionally, wastes from crops such as wheat, rice, bananas, and corn, as well as invasive water hyacinths, were widely used as weaving materials by the local Hakka people. The products' functions ranged from household appliances, cultural and entertainment products, furniture, to production tools, reflecting a range of conventional cultural connotations. The study found that the Bobai Hakka weaving industry had integrated modern elements and additional use value to expand its market appeal. With the participation of the government, enterprises, and farmers, the Bobai weaving industry has formed a development model of "intangible cultural heritage + industry + poverty alleviation," which has become a successful case of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

Discovering the Prosodic Domain of Aceh Hakka Tone Sandhi

The research investigated the tonal system of the Hakka dialect spoken in the Aceh province of Indonesia. The aim of the research was twofold. First, it retranscribed the dialect’s tonal inventory and provided a comparison with Meixian Hakka and the inventory found in Chen’s (2007) research. Second, it analyzed the Shang Tone Sandhi Rule (STSR) of the dialect and its prosodic domain. The data were collected with a careful design based on the number of syllables, different prosodic structures, and a variety of tonal combinations. The data were collected from two informants, who were female Hakka native speakers that originated from Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The research used mainly an impressionistic approach with some support from Praat Version 6.2.14 to evaluate the pitch of the tones. As for the research’s transcription, the researchers opt for the simpler yet phonologically distinct three-level height system (H, M, L) rather than the five-pitch category of Chao. The research identifies that there are six tonal values in this dialect. The tonal alternation rule, i.e., STSR, operates in a multisyllabic domain, and only the tone at the end of a domain is intact from tonal alternation. The STSR is not sensitive to the syntactic domain c-command relation of the Direct Reference Hypothesis. It also behaves differently compared to the Guangxing dialect Yangping Tone Sandhi Rule. As for prosody, the hierarchical domain of the rule in Aceh Hakka is bounded within the Utterance (U), which is different from the Yinping tone sandhi domain in Meinong Hakka, in which tone sandhi is blocked by the I domain (intonational phrase domain). Therefore, the researchers postulate that the domain for Aceh Hakka Shang tone sandhi lies in the Utterance (U).

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the personality constructs in CPAI-2 in Taiwanese Hakka populations.

Here in this study we adopted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to investigate the genetic components of the personality constructs in the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory 2 (CPAI-2) in Taiwanese Hakka populations, who are likely the descendants of a recent admixture between a group of Chinese immigrants with high emigration intention and a group of the Taiwanese aboriginal population generally without it. A total of 279 qualified participants were examined and genotyped by an Illumina array with 547,644 SNPs to perform the GWAS. Although our sample size is small and that unavoidably limits our statistical power (Type 2 error but not Type 1 error), we still found three genomic regions showing strong association with Enterprise, Diversity, and Logical vs. Affective Orientation, respectively. Multiple genes around the identified regions were reported to be nervous system related, which suggests that genetic variants underlying the certain personalities should indeed exist in the nearby areas. It is likely that the recent immigration and admixture history of the Taiwanese Hakka people created strong linkage disequilibrium between the emigration intention-related genetic variants and their neighboring genetic markers, so that we could identify them despite with only limited statistical power.

Reconnecting to the Great Civilisation: The Strategy of Revitalising the Hakka Unicorn Dance in Hong Kong’s Hang Hau through the Intangible Cultural Heritage System

The Hakka unicorn dance, with reference to mythical animals in the great Chinese tradition, was developed by the Hakka people in Guangdong for religious and societal purposes. This dancing tradition was brought by Hakka migrants to Hong Kong in the eighteenth century. Most Hakka villages established their own unicorn dance troupes to serve the needs of their local village communities. Since the 1960s, however, this local tradition has been under the threat of vanishing due to the loss of young players and the rapid urbanisation process. With the Hakka unicorn dance in Hang Hau, Hong Kong, being named as an item on the Chinese national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2014, an opportunity to conserve the unicorn dance became available to the villagers. In the process of revitalisation, the Hakka villagers emphasised the authentic cultural meanings of their unicorn dance and defined their tradition as an inherently Chinese one that aligned with the national framework.

The Multifunctionality of Interjections in Ruijin Hakka Dialect in Jiangxi

The Multifunctionality of Interjections in Ruijin Hakka Dialect in Jiangxi

A Study of the History of Hakka Mountain Song Education Transmission Based on Inheritance Historicity

Among the folk music of China, the Hakka Mountain Folk Songs of Gannan are a unique system with a long history. Understanding the rich humanistic connotation of Hakka and its place in the spiritual life of the people is of far-reaching significance to the study of Hakka culture, Hakka language and the spiritual sentiment of Hakka people in Ganzhou; and to arouse people’s awareness of the inheritance and protection of this precious cultural heritage which is on the verge of extinction. The distinctive local characteristics and folk features are fully expressed in the Hakka Mountain Folk Songs, and the local language and customs, local customs, artistic conditions， and political and cultural life are reflected in the Hakka Mountain Folk Songs in a very realistic way. In recent years, the academic community has paid more attention to the musical characteristics of the Hakka Mountain Folk Songs in Gannan, and the research has gained certain achievements. This paper will focus on the historical origin of Hakka Mountain Folk Songs in Gannan, the spiritual characteristics of Hakka people, the language of Hakka Mountain Folk Songs, the study of the musical characteristics of mountain songs and contemporary vocal works that successfully borrow from Hakka Mountain Folk Songs in Gannan. In the last part of the article, he writes some opinions about the inheritance and innovation of Gannan Hakka Mountain Folk Songs, which will help the creators to create more and better local music works and do their part to promote the inheritance of Gannan Hakka Mountain Folk Songs.

Language Maintenance and Shift of a fangyan Group: The Case of Mid-Mountain Hakka in Hakka-Chaoshan Adjoining Areas

Previous studies have discussed the impact of social context on language maintenance and shift of Chinese fangyan in metropolises, but not enough in rural areas. To explore the language maintenance and shift of the Hakka fangyan among Mid-mountain Hakka (MMH), a sub-branch of the Hakka people who live in Hakka-Chaoshan adjoining areas, this study examined the language proficiency, use, attitudes, and group identity of 200 residents in Jiexi County using quantitative and qualitative data. Through an analysis of survey- and interview-based self-reported data, our results revealed that although MMH seemed able to maintain the Hakka fangyan at a good level overall, there was still a sharp intergenerational decline in fangyan proficiency, use, attitudes, and awareness of Hakka identity and culture. Furthermore, there may have been a shift from the predominance of Hakka-Chaoshan bilinguals to the predominance of Hakka- Putonghua bilinguals across generations. We also constructed a model of the factors influencing language maintenance and shift of MMH. This study helps enhance our understanding of the role of group identity in language maintenance and shift, and has important implications for the practice of fangyan protection in rural areas of China.

Extraction and Reuse of Visual Elements of Children's Hat Creative Products Based on Gannan Hakka Culture

Now society has entered a new era. With the rapid development of economy, people's pursuit of a better life is becoming more and more intense. Tourism has increasingly become the leading role in people's lives, the subject of a better life, and the symbol of a national culture. Absorbing the essence of traditional culture in the design process of modern cultural and creative products can enhance the confidence of national culture. Gannan is the birthplace of Hakka people with a long history and rich Hakka culture, including historical culture, folk culture, catering culture, architectural relics, language culture, etc. This paper studies the extraction and reapplication of visual elements of children's hats based on Gannan Hakka culture, involving image processing. Wavelet transform has the ability to characterize the local characteristics of signals in time domain and frequency domain. Wavelet analysis based on wavelet transform can focus on any details of the signal in the time-frequency domain by using a scalable and translatable variable window. It can not only see the full picture of the signal, but also analyze the details of the signal, and retain the instantaneous characteristics of the data. Through research, the research effect of this paper is remarkable and suitable for wide application.

Ethnobotanical study of Hakka traditional medicine in Ganzhou, China and their antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic assessments

BackgroundTraditional herbs played a crucial role in the health care of the Hakka people. However, studies to identify these traditional herbs are few. Here we document and assess the potential of these plants for treating microbial infections. Many herbs used by the Hakka people could potentially be a novel medicinal resource.MethodsLocal herb markets were surveyed via semi-structured interviews, complemented by direct observations to obtain information on herbal usage. For each herb selected for this study, extracts in four different solvents were prepared, and tested for activity against 20 microorganisms, as well as cancerous and noncancerous cells. All data were subjected to cluster analysis to discover relationships among herbs, plant types, administration forms, solvents, microorganisms, cells, etc., with the aim to discern promising herbs for medicine.ResultsNinety-seven Hakka herbs in Ganzhou were documented from 93 plants in 62 families; most are used for bathing (97%), or as food, such as tea (32%), soup (12%), etc. Compared with the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and Chinese Materia Medica, 24 Hakka medicines use different plant parts, and 5 plants are recorded here for the first time as traditional medicines. The plant parts used were closely related with the life cycle: annual and perennial herbs were normally used as a whole plant, and woody plants as (tender) stem and leaf, indicating a trend to use the parts that are easily collected. Encouragingly, 311 extracts (94%) were active against one or more microorganisms. Most herbs were active against Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus (67%), Listeria innocua (64%), etc. Cytotoxicity was often observed against a tumor cell, but rarely against normal cells. Considering both antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity, many herbs reported in this study show promise as medicine.ConclusionHakka people commonly use easily-collected plant parts (aerial parts or entire herb) as medicine. External use of decoctions dominated, and may help combating microbial infections. The results offer promising perspectives for further research since little phytopharmacology and phytochemistry has been published to date.Graphical

APOE Genetic Polymorphism rs7412 T/T Genotype May Be a Risk Factor for Essential Hypertension among Hakka People in Southern China.

Objective One of the causes of hypertension is a genetic factor. The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between apolipoprotein E (APOE) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms and essential hypertension in the Hakka population. Methods The study included 2,850 patients with hypertension and 2,034 controls. APOE rs429358, rs7412, and MTHFR rs1801133 were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-microarray. The differences in these polymorphisms between the two groups were analyzed. Results The genotype and allele frequency of APOE and MTHFR polymorphisms did not differ significantly between hypertensive patients and controls. Patients with hypertension who were APOE rs429358C/C homozygous had higher TG, TC, LDL-C, and Apo-B levels, whereas patients with the T/T genotype had higher HDL-C levels. Patients with hypertension who were APOE rs7412T/T homozygous had higher TG and TC levels and lower LDL-C and Apo-B levels. Homocysteine (Hcy) levels in patients with MTHFR CC, CT, and TT genotypes were increased, while patients with the TT genotype and T allele had higher Hcy levels than those of patients with other genotypes and the C allele. The APOE rs7412T/T genotype in the co-dominant model (APOE rs7412T/T vs. C/C) (gender-, age-, smoking-, and drinking-adjusted OR 2.682, 95% CI, 1.072–6.710, P=0.035) was a significant risk factor for hypertension. The APOE rs429358 and MTHFR rs1801133 genotypes in co-dominant, dominant, and recessive models were not significant risk factors for hypertension. Conclusions It supports that APOE polymorphisms are related to hypertension in the Hakka population. Specifically, the APOE rs7412T/T genotype may be a risk factor for hypertension.

The Development and Changes of Singapore Chinese Society in 19–20th Century—An Analysis from the Perspective of Dialect Group Cemetery Hills

The development of Chinese cemetery hills in Singapore reflects the changing dominance of the dialect groups between the 19th and 20th centuries. Heng San Ting 恒山亭 is the earliest cemetery hill of the Hokkien dialect group, and newly excavated burials indicate that early Singaporean Hokkien came not only from Zhangzhou 漳州 and Quanzhou 泉州 in southern Fujian 福建, but also from places such as Yongchun 永春 from the interior of Fujian. Apart from the Hokkien dialect group, the Cantonese 广东, Hakka 客家, Teochew 潮州 and Hainan 海南 communities also established their cemetery hills. In the early 19th century, the Chinese communities were divided into different dialect groups to form their representative cemetery hills, but the smaller communities within the dialect groups started to form and develop their own cemeteries due to increasing economic power from the mid to late 19th century. Scholars generally believe that the other four dialect groups, led by the Cantonese and Hakka dialect groups, formed a “United Front 联合阵线” to confront the Hokkien dialect group. However, this paper looks at the smaller communities under the five dialect groups and discovers that these communities developed and maintained their own cemetery hills and communicated with the smaller communities from different dialect groups. It was not a direct confrontation. In the 20th century, although the government introduced a series of policies to restrict the development of Chinese burial mounds, the different communities retained their autonomy under the government’s policies. From the development and changes of the Chinese dialect group cemeteries in Singapore, we see that the Chinese community still retains its own autonomy despite the rapid changes of society and the change of times.

The Language Shift of Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka in Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City, Taiwan: A Data Comparison of the Surveys of 1978 and 2015

Abstract This study examines the extent to which language shift occurred in the Minnan and Hakka areas of Hsinchu, Taiwan, by comparing Marinus van den Berg’s findings (1986) with our own more recent observations. In 1978, van den Berg found that customers in the Minnan area used Taiwan Mandarin more than customers in the Hakka area during business transactions. Our observations in 2015 had the opposite results, with Taiwan Mandarin being spoken more in the Hakka area than in the Minnan area. The reason for this change is seen to be the expansion of people’s living environment, reducing the opportunities for Hakka people to speak their own language when encountering people of other ethnicities. Additionally, as a minority, the Hakka people were more sensitive towards language use, that is, were likely to use high-level languages or standard languages that were more valued by society.

Association of ALDH2 rs671 and MTHFR rs1801133 polymorphisms with hypertension among Hakka people in Southern China

BackgroundGenetic factors play an important role in susceptibility to hypertension. Herein, the association between acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms and hypertension was analyzed among Hakka population in southern China.MethodsA total of 3057 hypertensive patients and 2215 controls were enrolled. The ALDH2 rs671 and MTHFR rs1801133 genotyping were analyzed using gene chip. Relevant information and medical records of these subjects were collected.ResultsHypertensive patients with ALDH2 rs671 G/A heterozygous had lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) than other genotypes (P < 0.001), while hypertensive patients with A allele had lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) than patients with G allele (P < 0.001). The level of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) in patients with MTHFR CC, CT and TT genotypes showed an increasing trend (P < 0.001). The ALDH2 G/A genotype in the co-dominant model (adjusted OR 1.251, 95% CI 1.024–1.528, P = 0.028) and ALDH2 A/A genotype in the recessive model (adjusted OR 1.221, 95% CI 1.008–1.478, P = 0.041) were significant risk factors for the presence of hypertension. The MTHFR C/T genotype in the co-dominant model (adjusted OR 1.307, 95% CI 1.039–1.643, P = 0.022) and MTHFR C/T and T/T genotypes in the dominant model (adjusted OR 1.281, 95% CI 1.146–1.430, P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for the presence of hypertension. Further, logistic regression analysis showed that age, smoking, alcohol consumption, hyperhomocysteinemia, and high level of serum TG, Apo-A1, Apo-B were significant risks for hypertension.ConclusionsIn summary, ALDH2 rs671 G/A, A/A genotypes and MTHFR rs1801133 C/T, T/T genotypes may be risk factors for hypertension in this Chinese Hakka population.