Although proud of their cultural differences, the Hakka have never claimed to be non-Chinese. Many famous Chinese have been Hakka, including Deng Xiaoping, Lee Kwan Yew, and Hong Xiuquan (the leader of the Taiping Rebellion).
There is much speculation concerning the historical roots of the Hakka. Some claim they were the first Han Chinese people to arrive in China. Others claim that the Hakka are the descendants of the Xiongnu tribe. This much is agreed upon: At various stages between the fourth and thirteenth centuries AD, large numbers of people were forced to flee their homes in the war-torn Yellow River Valley to seek refuge in southern China. These war refugees came to be known as Kejia - a Hakka word meaning "strangers" or "guests." When the brutal Mongol hordes swept across China in the thirteenth century, many Hakka fled to the south to escape the carnage. Some of the Hakka remain in Thailand and Vietnam today, though they are much more numerous in China.
As part of the careful preservation of their language, when a non-Hakka woman marries into a Hakka family, she is required to learn the Hakka language.
They have their own cuisine, architecture and dress. Their spiritual beliefs are very similar to other Han Chinese groups. At one time there were Hakka villages in Hong Kong, but that part of the world is becoming increasingly urban.
There are aspects of animism and shamanism among some of the more remote Hakka locations.
Rev. T. H. Hamburg and Rudolf Lechler were the first missionaries sent out by the Basel Mission. They arrived in China in 1846 to commence work among the Hakka. They experienced great success, and by 1922 the Hakka Christians numbered 30,000. Today, most of the estimated 150,000 Hakka Christians in China are located in southern Guangdong. Though they are reached in most of China, they remain unreached in Thailand.
In the 1800s the Taiping leader Chung Wang, a Hakka, pleaded for missionaries to have patience with his people. "You have had the gospel for upwards of 1,800 years; we only, as it were, eight days. Your knowledge of it ought to be correct and extensive, ours must necessarily be limited and imperfect. You must therefore bear with us for the present, and we will gradually improve. We are determined to uproot idolatry, and plant Christianity in its place."
These people need to put their hope and identity in the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Pray for workers to go to the Hakka people in Thailand, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their Savior.
Pray for families of believers loving and serving others to grow reproducing churches.
Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that results in thousands of new believers who share their faith with others.
Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.
Scripture Prayers for the Han Chinese, Hakka in Thailand.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
