The formation of Hakka ethnic lineage and Hakka culture has gone through a long historical period. In the process of its formation, due to large-scale migration and dangerous environment, they were forced to abandon their cowardly and conservative characters and weak-willed members, and open up their own living environment with perseverance and outstanding spirit and fighting spirit, thus creating The unique Hakka culture and Hakka spirit. However, the predecessor of Hakka culture is actually the culture of the Central Plains. The Hakka ethnic line originated in the Central Plains, and the Hakka people are immigrants from the Central Plains. The Hakka people who are spread all over today's Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi and overseas have innate traces of the Central Plains culture. Although it has lasted a long time, they have learned from each other and continued to pass it on from generation to generation, so in a sense, Hakka culture is an evolved and evolved Central Plains culture. Since it has preserved much of the original form of Central Plains culture, it is inextricably linked to Central Plains culture in terms of cultural origins. At the same time, it is also an important part of the study of Central Plains culture. Cultural sources and living fossils.

Without the flow of immigrants from the Central Plains and their migration southward, there would be no Hakka ethnic lineage. This is the prerequisite for the formation of Hakka culture. However, the main reasons for migration are wars and the destruction of the country and the family, which makes migration feel forced and sad. Because of this, this kind of movement also makes them value their old cultural foundation and concepts more. form. The strong local consciousness and humanistic spirit in the Central Plains culture always vibrate the souls of these immigrants, making it difficult for them to separate conceptually from the spirit of Han culture. On the other hand, the completely changed living environment and living conditions force them to change their old culture (at least partially). They must establish some new culture that adapts to the new environment and new situation and abandon the past. In this way, Hakka culture must have two characteristics: one is to consciously preserve the old culture; the other is to passively reform the old culture. This has become the style and characteristics of Hakka culture. Regardless of whether the old culture is retained or reformed, it cannot be separated from the mother source of the Central Plains culture.

1

The so-called "Hakka" contains two meanings: one is "guest", which refers to immigrants; the other is "home", which refers to the migration of the whole family from the Central Plains to the south. Or those wealthy and distinguished families who have settled down and started a family.

Historically, the Hakka ancestors were mostly residents of the Central Plains, especially Yuzhou. Their migration first began at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty and the beginning of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. "Jin Shu Geography" Yuzhou article says: "On the occasion of Yongjia, Yuzhou fell to the Shi family. Emperor Yuan crossed the river and established Xiangyang County and Fanchang County in Chungu County. Emperor Cheng also established Yuzhou between the Jianghuai River and settled in Wuhu When Huainan entered the north, it was divided into Danyang, and the overseas Chinese established Huainan County and lived in Hukou. The immigrants from Dangyang County crossed the river and established it as a county, which merged with Huainan, Lujiang, and Anfeng, and belonged to Yuzhou. During the Yongjia Rebellion, the northern ethnic minorities moved southward in large numbers, and finally wiped out the Western Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop. The Central Plains was shaken, and the wealthy families suffered an unprecedented impact. The most severely affected by this great change were the noble families in Yuzhou, Gyeonggi Province. With the establishment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the south, they migrated south one after another. In order to recruit and take care of these nobles, the Eastern Jin Dynasty began to set up overseas counties in the south for these immigrants to live, and named these overseas counties after the northern places to take care of them. Consciousness and psychology. According to the "Book of Jin Geography", the largest among the overseas Chinese counties established was "Yuzhou". It can be seen that the immigrants from Henan area are the largest in number and the most powerful. In order to take care of the interests of these nobles to the greatest extent, the Eastern Jin Dynasty established the "Guest Guest System", which directly evolved into the name "Hakka" and provided Hakka people with The organizational system and social structure of the department have introduced greater vitality. "Book of the Southern Qi: Chronicles of Prefectures and Counties" says: "At that time, the people were in trouble and migrated to this area. Most of the refugees took shelter as guests." At that time, almost all the northern surnames moved southward. Due to the protection of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, these migrating northerners did not decline, but prospered day by day. This provided a certain source of motivation for the subsequent southward migrations.

Judging from the entire migration route of the Hakka people, according to the historical divisions, it can be roughly divided into five times: the first time was in the early Eastern Jin Dynasty, when "the famous families in the Central Plains fled southward". They came from the Central Plains, and most of them settled in the Jianghuai area, and most of them came to Anhui and Jiangxi. This time, due to the various care policies of the Eastern Jin Dynasty government, the southern revolution quickly became stable and remained so for five centuries. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the society was in turmoil. The Huangchao Peasant Rebel Army marched across the north and south. These prominent families were greatly threatened. The place where the Hakka ancestors settled after their first flight was the key point for the Huangchao Rebel Army to move back and forth. Under such circumstances , then began the second migration, that is, from Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi and other places where they settled in the first period, and then moved to southern Anhui, southeastern Jiangxi, southwestern Fujian and northeastern Guangdong. It remained stable for three hundred years after the second migration. Later, the Jin and Mongolia successively occupied the north and increasingly invaded the south. The Hakka ancestors had no choice but to migrate again. This third migration was partly from their old residences in the second period to the eastern and northern parts of Guangdong. After more than five hundred years, the Hakka people began their fourth migration. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus moved south to occupy the Central Plains. Some of the Hakka people who suffered the most serious disasters moved from the second or third place. They moved their old residences three times, to central Guangdong and coastal areas, Sichuan, Guangxi, Xiangtai and other places, and a small number moved to the south of Guizhou and Yunnan. The last Hakka migration was during the Taiping Rebellion. Some Hakkas moved to southern Guangdong and Hainan Island, and some lived overseas.

At this point, after five migrations, the Hakka's residential area has been basically stable, reflecting the current Hakka distribution trend.

Due to the influence of the traditional culture of the Central Plains and the constant displacement, the Hakka people attach great importance to family genealogy. The origins and routes of these migrations are described in detail in their genealogy. No matter how they migrate, They have always been unable to let go of their place of origin and often "tell the origin". In the Hakka genealogy that can be found today, there is always great nostalgia for the former homes of their ancestors, and most of their ancestral homes are in the Central Plains, most of them in Henan.

The concept and group of Hakkas were formed by the continuous migration and mobility of some residents of the Central Plains in history. It is a cultural and humanistic phenomenon created by history. However, there is still a point of convergence and a turning point between the Central Plains people and the Hakka people. Since the concept of Hakka is mainly about the change of residence, this turning point is also reflected in the transit link in the migration process. Examining the migration of Hakkas, we can find that Shishibi Township in Ning, Fujian Province is a transit link for Hakka migration and a milestone in the transformation of immigrants from the Central Plains into Hakkas. Judging from a large number of genealogy and local chronicle records, Ning Shibi Township occupies a decisive position in the history of Hakka migration. It is a place where Hakka people praise and remember it. Hakka people migrating from the Central Plains to the south and even all over the world have almost passed through Ninghua and its stone walls. The Wuyi Mountains serve as a barrier to the northwest of Ninghua, and there is a relatively flat and narrow strip of land as a passage from the outside into Fujian. After immigrants from the Central Plains gathered here to rest and recuperate, they formed a relatively integrated immigrant group and then moved to Fujian, Guangdong and other places. The real Hakka period began. Therefore, all immigrants from the Central Plains who lived here and identified themselves as being of the same ethnic group were transformed into Hakkas and their descendants. This became the criterion and standard for defining Hakkas, and this was indeed the case in history.

The title of Hakka was formed in the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is used in books such as "Old Tang Book: Food and Huo Zhi", "Taiping Huanyu Ji", "Yuan Feng Jiuyu Zhi", "Yu Di Ji Sheng" and other books. "Zeng" mentioned "Hakka", "Guest", "Hakka" and "Hakka". Some important genealogical documents record the Hakka people passing through Ningshibi, such as Meixian's "Qiu Family Genealogy" and Jiaying's "Liu Family Genealogy" , Xingning's "Liao Family Genealogy", Pingyuan's "Yao Family Genealogy", etc., it is recorded that its transformation into Ning was also during the two migration periods of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Whether conceptually or substantively, the Hakka ethnic lineage has already matured during this period.

II

Hakka culture is a culture that was formed according to the changing needs of the environment during the migration process. It inherits the culture of the Central Plains. The main core of Hakka culture is to extend the cultural needs in the new environment and new conditions, thus creating some new cultural content and adhering to the cultural traditions of the Central Plains. Since the Hakka people always move in a group or family style, they have relative differences. A closed and single living space, and because these Hakka ancestors themselves were famous families with high cultural knowledge in the Central Plains area, some of the Central Plains culture preserved by them is relatively prototype and pure.

< p> Adhering to etiquette, emphasizing ethics, and advocating morality are major characteristics of the Central Plains culture. The Hakka ancestors themselves were high-level intellectuals in the Central Plains. Naturally, they attached great importance to this basic content of traditional culture, so they paid special attention to etiquette and promotion of literary style. Simplicity, pursuit of truth, determination to learn, and courage to make progress. Taiwanese scholar Mr. Chen Yundong summed it up as follows: "Although the Hakkas moved south from the Central Plains, they still have ancient customs that emphasize morality, loyalty, etiquette, reason, and strong character. Preserve the Han bloodline, which is the purest. The language, customs and habits are still a legacy of the Central Plains. Their observance of etiquette, emphasis on morality, good knowledge, and ethics all reflect the national temperament of the Central Plains... Hakka, in terms of its language and spiritual expression, all have the ancient style of the Central Plains." The famous scholar Luo Xianglin pointed out in his "A Study on the Origin of the Hakka" that this This "Hakka spirit" is the best embodiment and development of the "Central Plains spirit". The etiquette and customs of the Jiaying Prefecture Chronicles in the Jiaying area, where the Hakka people are concentrated, quote from the Qing Dynasty Yitong Chronicles: "Folk customs are based on diligence and thrift. The land is narrow and the people are barren, and the spirit is too high to live. A gentleman is loyal to wood, while a villain is brave and sheltered, commonly known as sincerity. " Wang Zhiyun is also quoted: " A family with enough food and clothing will be more frugal and live a frugal life. If you lose your wealth and serve the public, you will have nothing to do with whipping. Scholars like to study and talk a lot about farming. Although they were poor and old, they refused to quit their jobs. "Wang Xiangzhi's "Yu Di Ji Sheng" records: "Fang gradually learned about Meizhou and tasted Wei: 'Mei people have no crops and rely on the living to read.' It can be seen that the reading of state scholars has been going on since the Song Dynasty. "This situation is exactly the same as the ancient customs of the Central Plains.

Emphasis on etiquette and love of reading are cultural habits. Its essence is the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture, especially the inheritance and development of traditional academics. Confucianism is the highest expression of the cultural spirit of the Central Plains, and the Hakka people also regard Confucianism as a classic. In the larger settlements of the Hakka people, almost all have built academic palaces and places to worship Confucius. According to relevant historical records, the Hakkas were masters of Confucianism. In the Song Dynasty, there were Yang Fang from Changting and Zhang Liang from Ninghua. Both were in the Confucian circles in the Ming Dynasty. Hakkas were successful in studying Confucianism. There are more famous people such as Ye Chunfang and Ye Tianyou of Huiyang, Yu Pu of Xinfeng, Yuehua of Longnan, Liu Zhaowen of Nankang, Zhang Tianzi of Xingning, Yangyu of Changting, etc., all of whom were famous in the Qing Dynasty and modern times. , Hakka scholars, scholars, writers, poets, and famous calligraphers and painters emerged in endlessly, forming an academic stream with its own characteristics.

The Hakka people abide by the ethics and have their own set of ethics consistent with them. Morality.

Environmental changes and difficult conditions have made them pay more attention to family, relationships and family groups. The humanistic spirit of the Central Plains culture has always deepened the concept of family groups. As the most basic unit of society, the family is their direct spiritual and life sustenance and dependence. Their dependence on the family becomes their survival consciousness and penetrates into their psychology. A series of characters formed on this psychological consciousness - loyalty to family, filial piety to parents, friendship and brotherhood, and harmonious neighborliness have also become the ethical norms advocated by the Hakka people.

The Hakka people value "woody water source" most. They cherish the experiences of their ancestors and will never forget them, and thus respect the family system. The Hakka people respect and strongly advocate that several generations live under the same roof. This situation was very obvious as early as the Tang and Song Dynasties; "Zizhi Tongjian·Tang Ji" records that the Hakka Zhang Gongyi "nine generations lived together, and the Qi, Sui, and Tang Dynasties all respected their sect. When I visited Shouzhang, I was lucky enough to live in his house. I asked him why he was able to stay there. Gong Yi wrote more than a hundred words of "forbearance" and gave him a silk silk. "History of Song Dynasty·Biography of Xiaoyi" Chen Jing, a Hakka, wrote: "There are more than 700 wives, both young and old. They don't have animals to predict concubines. Their marriages are harmonious and everyone talks to each other. They sit together in the wide hall every time they eat, and the minors have their own seats... The countryside is civilized and disputes are rare." . This kind of family group plays a considerable role in the life of the Hakka people. Internally, it seeks economic self-sufficiency, provides care for the elderly and children, educates children, and worships ancestors; externally, it defends against foreign aggression and uses collective strength to protect the safety of the family. In a large Hakka family, the division of labor is meticulous and reasonable, and the industries are complete. If one line fails, it can be filled by another line, so that there will be no vacancy. A large family is presided over by the head of the family. As long as the head of the family is still alive, the family will not be separated even if the family is full of children and grandchildren. As the number of people increased, houses were built, gradually forming "houses with ridges". This "black butterfly falling from the sky" praised by Professor Keiichiro Motegi of Japan University of the Arts shows the basic characteristics of the Hakka living culture and is known as A "unique and fabulous mountain architectural model in the world". This kind of housing complex with residential and safety functions also reflects the strong family concept and affinity of the Hakka people.

Ancestor worship is a big event for the Hakka people, and it still is today. When worshiping ancestors in the first month, the offerings must be placed on the fifteenth day before being removed. On the night of the New Year's Eve, the whole family gathers in front of the ancestors' memorial tablets. The old man tells his children and grandchildren about their ancestors' achievements and gives instructions to the younger generations. "Old Chinese Etiquette and Customs" quotes a Hakka holiday song: "The first month is the New Year, burn incense to honor your ancestors." Ancestor worship activities include both grand and solemn ceremonies and a lively, joyful and peaceful atmosphere. Festival news, such as returning to one's parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Laba Festival and offering sacrifices to the stove, etc., still clearly reflect the style of the Central Plains culture.

Several migrations also put the Hakka people in a state of large or small mobility. When migrating, no matter how difficult and dangerous it is, they often unearth the bones of their ancestors and carry them away. When they arrive at their new residence, they rebury them according to the ceremony. When encountering danger, if brothers are forced to separate, they must copy the genealogy separately and remember it carefully. Clan lineage to prepare for the future of "respecting the clan and harmonizing the clan"; they are all formed by the long-term ties of blood relationship and form the continuation of the humanities of the Central Plains.

Hakka weddings and funerals also fully reflect the characteristics of Central Plains culture. The extension of the human race and the death of individuals are facts that will always appear and repeat in human society. They are inevitable for any nation or tribe. However, due to differences in production methods, economic sources, ecological environment, and humanistic psychology, wedding and funeral etiquette Also very different. The etiquette abstracted from these two eternal themes also shows that the different characteristics of different cultures. No matter how separated they are, the Hakka people still adhere to the wedding ceremony and the funeral ceremony to ensure their own extension. The ancestral teachings embody the behavioral habits of "Central Plains people". Mr. Deng Xunzhi, a Taiwanese scholar, said: “The ancestors of the Hakka people came from the Central Plains, and they have preserved the traditional culture of the Central Plains throughout the ages, so their marriage etiquette and customs are deeply influenced by ancient customs; that is to say, the Hakka people’s concept of marriage is still based on The traditional purpose of 'carrying on the family lineage'." Judging from the historical situation, Hakka marriage etiquette basically follows the wedding ceremonies in the ancient rites of the Central Plains. That is to say, there are six rites of acceptance, name asking, acceptance, acceptance of emblem, request for date, and personal greeting. Before Western civilization was introduced to China, old-style weddings and procedures were basically followed. With the development of society, even after weddings in the Central Plains area became simpler and more liberalized with the times, Hakka weddings were still conducted according to the ancient rituals of the Central Plains. In this regard, due to the inward-looking nature of survival, the cultural traditions of the Central Plains they embody are even more obvious than those in the Central Plains. The funeral ceremonies of the Hakka people are also indistinguishable from the ancient observances of the Central Plains. Burial and mourning both retain the traditional customs of Central Plains culture. This solemn mourning ceremony coupled with the carefulness and appropriateness of the Hakka people often expresses the sorrow of relatives vividly. The Hakka people not only abide by the customs but also know how to use their emotions.

Some of the Hakka cultural phenomena we have described above reveal obvious characteristics of Central Plains culture. But this is not because Hakka culture was influenced by Central Plains culture, but because Hakka culture itself is a form of advancement of Central Plains culture. The above are only things that are still adhered to and retained in the advancement process compared with the ancient culture of Central Plains. Due to many reasons, Hakka culture’s preservation of traditions is even more orthodox and pure than those in the Central Plains region. However, after all, culture itself arises, develops and changes with the living environment. After all, the Hakka people have moved out of the Central Plains and settled in a living space that is very different from the Central Plains customs. They must make changes to their original culture, especially their material culture. Remodel and update.

For example, in food culture, due to changes in the living environment and changes in soil and ecological products, it is no longer possible to preserve the traditional dietary structure of the Central Plains. Other aspects such as living, making a living, worshiping new gods, clothing and decorations, etc. are also significantly different from similar cultures in the Central Plains. This is an inevitable and normal phenomenon in cultural development.

3

Language is an important aspect that shows the characteristics of a type of culture. Hakka language is the consciousness and spiritual force that maintains the Hakka community, and has almost become the definition of whether or not a Hakka is a Hakka. Since Hakka originated from the Central Plains, the Hakka language is a direct manifestation of the ancient sounds of the Central Plains.

In terms of ethnic origin, the Hakkas are the Han people, and they are the Han people living in the Central Plains. Due to the long period of isolation, their Han bloodline seems to be more pure. Language is the first cultural factor for the residents to exchange thoughts, feelings, and produce and live. These aloof and aloof descendants of aristocrats have always maintained their own unique language characteristics. Therefore, many ancient Chinese sounds are retained in the Hakka language, especially during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Chen Feng's "Dong Shu Collection" said: "Jiaying's words have many ancient sounds before the Sui and Tang Dynasties." Zhang Taiyan's "New Dialect·Lingwai Sanzhou Dialect": "Guangdong Hui and Jiaying two states, Chaozhou Dabu Fengshun, its Since the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the people have crossed the mountains and lived in the sea. They speak in ancient ways and are incompatible with the native people... I have tried to ask the people of their country, and the old pronunciation is often there."

The spread of the language is not the same. There are two ways outside, one is the living language of primary school; the other is the written language read in teaching classes. The ancestors of the Hakka people have a higher cultural level and accept more written languages. This was called "Yayan" in ancient times. The so-called elegant language refers to those civilized languages ??that relatively eliminate "slang". A large number of these ancient elegant words are still preserved in the Hakka language that is known today, and they can often find consistent parallels in ancient languages. For example, in Hakka language, call me "I", "you" as "ruo", "he" as "he", "his" as "jue", "sun" as "sun", "sister" as sister, "nothing" as "nothing", eating as food, drinking as "drinking", porridge as porridge, and beauty as beauty. , dirty means greasy or filthy, fat means fat, scattered means wan, and good means good. These are all ancient elegances and formal literary terms in ancient times. As long as we have a brief exploration of ancient Chinese, we will find that among the various language families that have inherited ancient Chinese to this day, its best preserver is the Hakka language. Terms like this abound in Hakka. In fact, in real cultural life, the level of colloquialism achieved by Hakkas in applying Yayan is almost the same as that in ancient times. In fact, in the ancient Central Plains, these elegant words were probably only used by intellectuals when writing. The Hakka ancestors with a high level of knowledge, faced with the unfamiliar language environment in the south during the migration process, often consciously extended and fixed the Central Plains Yayan into their daily spoken language in order to accurately and consistently describe the meanings of names and objects, and it became A tradition. It virtually enables the ancient Chinese language of the Central Plains to be passed down one after another and becomes an important part of the Hakka language.

Hakka is also the best preserver of the ancient sounds of the Central Plains. This degree of preservation is more orthodox and standardized than the current Central Plains phonology. For example, "The Book of Songs" is the earliest collection of poems in ancient my country, most of which came from the Central Plains. Since it is a poem, the last word must rhyme, but in today's ordinary pronunciation, this is not always the case. "Poetry·Qi Feng·Nanshan": "There are five liang of Ge Lu, and the crown and the two stop. The Lu Dao has a swing, and the Qi Zi Yong stops. It is called Yong Zhi, and it is Cong Zhi?" Among them, Shuang, Yong, and Cong should have the rhyme of Ye. However, due to the major changes in Chinese pronunciation in the Tang Dynasty, rhymes began to separate. Therefore, today in the Central Plains and even most of China, the ancient pronunciation before the Sui and Tang Dynasties has been rarely preserved. However, in Hakka, many ancient pronunciations from the Central Plains are retained. For example, the poem above is recited in Hakka dialect. , but it is catchy and has clear rhyme.

The study of Hakka language is a very specialized and difficult subject. Generally speaking, whether in terms of phonology or exegesis, dialectologists believe that the Hakka dialect is most similar to the ancient language of the Central Plains, especially the ancient Chinese of Zhongzhou and Henan. It preserves many ancient Zhongzhou phonological vocabulary and has a strong ancient influence. Zhongzhou customs and colors. In fact, these statements only generally refer to the ancient Zhongzhou dialect in the Hakka dialect. It is not an ancient phonological vocabulary in a single era, but involves the ancient phonological vocabulary of the Central Plains from the pre-Qin to the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is different from the Hakka ancestors migrating southward in different eras and different The starting point and the sites experienced are closely related. The reason why these ancient sounds can be preserved is mainly due to the Hakka people's cultural psychology of "rather selling their ancestral fields than forgetting their ancestral words", and also because the Hakka people "mostly live in mountainous areas" and are in a closed environment. living environment. The formation of this language is the basic condition for Hakka people to belong to the Hakka group. As a cultural phenomenon, the Hakka dialect is not isolated, but is deeply rooted in the overall culture of the Hakka people, and it is a clear mirror that shows one's ancestors and origins.

Hakka culture is inextricably linked to the Central Plains. By sorting out and tracing the Hakka culture, we can always find some prototypes or shadows of the Central Plains civilization. However, from the perspective of objective cultural formation, Hakka culture is, after all, another cultural form different from Central Plains culture, and it cannot be described as a derived Central Plains sub-culture. Hakka culture is the physical culture of Hakka. It is a product of the cultural background of the Chinese nation and social and historical changes. It is the result of the evolution of local cultural movements.