Hakka in Taiwan

Someone asked me about Hakka in Taiwan. He(I guess) became to be interested in history of Hakka when reading a post on my another blog written in Korean language. I wonder the person has understanding of history of Taiwan or ethnic background. But I believe it's good for any foreigner to get to know more about this country.

I depict Hakka people as gypsy to explain easier. Indeed they are talented to artwork, music, poem, and so on. Even though they often has been excluded and shunned historically, they survived here and all around the Asia even Korea, Myanmar as well as Malaysia or Singapore.

They believe their ancestors are from north part of China and gradually has come down to southeastern provinces. Those in Taiwan also had crossed to island of Taiwan through hundreds of years. Their population is now approximately 20 percent.

As I blogged there, I was emotionally and really shocked by their history which recovered by great efforts of Hakka historians and artists. Their history was the history of blood as it was. They were attacked and boycotted whenever they tried to settle down near Han people's place so that another struggle, sometimes bloody combat, flight and wandering was waiting again.

So it's one more part of Taiwan history I've learned. There are much more complicated factors of social conflict in Taiwan as other countries. Among the them, except the relation with China, matter of ethnicity seems to be tough issue today.