To entice Hakka youths at home and abroad to experience Hakka culture, the Hakka Affairs Council (HAC) launched the inaugural Global Hakka Networking Camp (海內外客家後生交流營) in Taiwan from Oct. 2 to 8.

At the opening ceremony on Oct. 2, HAC Minister Lee Yung-de met with 45 members of the camp who hailed from various countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States.

Minister Lee noted that many Hakka people are worried about the lack of opportunities through which youngsters can participate in Hakka affairs, as they fear the extinction of the Hakka and heritage. Hence, HAC actively hosts Hakka conventions around the globe such as in the Americas, Australia, and Europe, and sends delegations through the Hakka Youth International Affairs Mission program to foreign countries for cultural exchanges, Lee added.

He explained that, through this year’s camp, HAC invited overseas Hakka youths to visit Taiwan’s Hakka settlements in hope of nurturing a new generation who will help promote Taiwanese Hakka culture to the world. Lee also promised that the camp will continue next year.

To highlight great Hakka contributions that have benefited the world, Minister Lee cited several prominent Hakka individuals from Southeast Asia, such as Luo Fangbo (羅芳伯) who established the Lanfang Republic (蘭芳共和國), the first Chinese state in Indonesia during the 18th century; Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), who is regarded as the founding father of Singapore; and Yap Ah Loy (葉亞來), an important figure who helped develop early Kuala Lumpur in 19th-century Malaysia.

Lee finished his speech by encouraging members of the camp to seize the opportunity to learn Hakka history, speak the language in daily life, pass down this unique culture, and attain remarkable achievements like their Hakka ancestors did.

All currently under the age of 30, members of the camp represented a variety of fields and vocations, including teachers, artists, students, fashion designers, media workers, small farmers, and eco-tour guides.

During the 7-day camp, they traveled along Taiwan Romantic Route 3, explored Hakka settlements around the island, visited the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) and the College of Hakka Studies in National Chiao Tung University, had conversations with Hakka entrepreneurs, learned to make Hakka dishes, went to tea plantations to pick tea leaves, and watched a Hakka opera adapted from Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”

It is expected that such activities will fuel these Hakka youths’ passion for Hakka culture, expand their global Hakka vision, and help bring their creativity to Hakka communities.