The elders from Dongshi’s Chen Historical House and Lin Historical House enthusiastically shared accounts of the history and culture of their family residences. Hakka residents of Zhao’an, Yunlin were eager to show hospitality, giving detailed explanations for the Hakka surnames, ancestry, and language of Zhao’an. Professor Kawai also took part in the recording and documentation of the Dapu and Zhao’an dialects, which will also be showcased in September’s special exhibition. Any of the 8 Hakka dialects can be heard even in Japan.
THCDC’s Hakka Village History Writing Project has yielded 30 village history books across 8 years and continuously promotes the research outcomes among Hakka villages to simultaneously stimulate and revitalize the localities. To prompt concrete action and realize the value of returning to villages to compile history, the authors of A Visit to Hakka Villages—Thai-màu-pû, Dongshi District, Tsai Pei-ju and Chen Li-wen recounted the process of data collection on the history of Daomaopu, Taichung. The cultural landscape and memory of Damaopu piece together the unique narrative of a Hakka village.
Many experts and scholars on village history were invited to the event to elaborate on the context of Hakka village development, giving young academics a better understanding of the significance and records of Hakka settlements. The event was like a time portal taking attendants to events and scenes in textbooks, enabling us to build recollections of Hakka villages that belong to our era and deepening our love for the homeland. If you happen to be in town in September, why not drop by the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan to visit the special exhibition Founding Hakka and Japan: Another History of East Asian Relations Created by Chinese Overseas? Together, let’s support and hearten Hakka culture as it steps onto the world stage. For more information on the event, please visit the Taiwan Hakka Museum Facebook fanpage.
