The 6^th World Hakka Businessmen Convention will open in Meizhou, Guangdong, the "Capital of Hakka in the World", tomorrow on November 2nd. What is the unique spirit and quality of Hakka merchants? How did Hakka businessmen form a famous business group? What is the significance of the World Hakka Businessmen Convention for Hakka people worldwide? Regarding these questions, Yangcheng Evening News interviewed Professor Li Xiaohua, the director of the Department of Journalism and Communication at the School of Journalism and Communication of South China University of Technology and the deputy director of the Hakka Culture Research Institute.

The history of migration has endowed the Hakka people with strong self-adjustment abilities

Hakka is an important ethnic group of the Han nationality in China, originating from the Central Plains region. Due to wars and population pressure, they began to migrate on a large scale to the southern regions of China. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, a large number of Hakka people have gone overseas to seek a living, and their footprints can be found all over the world. According to incomplete statistics, there are currently more than 80 million Hakka people worldwide, distributed in over 80 countries.

As an important ethnic group of the Han nationality, the Hakka people have inherited the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, such as hard work, bravery and practicality. In the process of continuous migration, the Hakka people have also formed their own unique spirits.

"The history of the Hakka people is a history of migration." Professor Li Xiaohua believes that the history of migration has endowed the Hakka people with strong self-adjustment abilities.

Around the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-581), the Hakka people migrated from the north to the south, such as Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong. They struggled to survive and took roots for generations in an environment with many mountains and few fields. Since modern times, Hakka people have gone overseas to make a living on a large scale and have made great achievements in the host countries. "From opening up wasteland to exploring overseas areas, Hakka people have shown their enterprising spirit of exploration." The Hakka people have always lived in mountainous areas, but when they went overseas, they were able to accept the influence of maritime commercial civilization and gradually learned to do business, which showed the adaptability of the Hakka people.

In order to cope with the complex living environment overseas, these groups of Hakka merchants have gathered together and formed Hakka guilds, chambers of commerce, and other community organizations to seek strength in unity and mutual assistance as business alliances.

"There is a term in Hakka language called 'hard-neck', which refers to the character of Hakka people who do not easily bow down nor give up facing adversity and are tenacious and resilient." It is precisely this unique "hard-neck spirit" that enables the Hakka people to survive tenaciously in different times and different geographical environments. Political figures such as Lee Kuan Yew and his son Lee Hsien Loong, as well as business giants such as Hong Kong Goldlion Holdings founder, "King of Necktie", Tsang Hin Chi and "King of Leather in Hong Kong" Tin Ka Ping.

Hakka people have a strong desire to seek their "roots"

For a long time, the migration of the Hakka people has not diluted them among other ethnic groups, but instead spread them all over the world, becoming an important ethnic group within the Han nationality. The Hakka people are the only ethnic group that is not named after a specific region.

"This is because Hakka people have a strong desire of seeking their 'roots'". Professor Li Xiaohua believes that this consciousness enhances the cohesion and centripetal force of the Hakka people.

"There is a Hakka proverb that says, 'Rather sell ancestral land than forget the ancestral language.' The Hakka language is important for Hakka people to identify their ethnic group. Nowadays, there are many websites, such as News Hakka and Hakka Net , which are maintained and updated by young people. They promote the Hakka language without expecting any rewards, relying on the strong sentiment of 'inheriting the Hakka language to always remember Hakka people.' Language is a tool for communication, a carrier of culture, and an externalization of thinking. Hakka language carries Hakka culture and connects ethnic emotions. Overseas, Hakka people have a strong awareness of protecting their mother tongue and dialect and remembering their Chinese roots. Therefore, for Hakka people living abroad, their longing to seek roots and build their hometown has never changed.

Meanwhile, during the continuous migration, the Hakka people have always maintained the fine tradition of valuing culture and education. "In Southeast Asia, there are many schools for overseas Chinese established by Hakka people. It is worth mentioning that these schools in Indonesia and Malaysia have formed a certain scale, promoting the development of Chinese education in overseas Chinese communities. These schools also play a role in promoting the inheritance and development of Hakka culture," said Professor Li.

Professor Li Xiaohua also mentioned a teacher she encountered during her research in Indonesia: "I went to Indonesia to conduct research for a provincial project and met a retired middle school teacher at the Singapore Eng Teng Association in Jakarta. He is an old overseas Chinese born in the 1940s. He provides free Chinese tutoring to overseas Chinese children at the association every week. Although he has obtained Indonesian citizenship, he kept saying, 'We Chinese, we Hakka people' while chatting with me. This sense of identity among Hakka overseas Chinese is touching."

In terms of the convention, Professor Li Xiaohua said, "Through the hosting of the 6th World Hakka Businessmen Convention, global Hakka merchants have gathered together. In addition to promoting trade and investment in Guangdong, it has also enhanced the emotional connection among Hakka people from both domestic and overseas. At the same time, the convention's schedule includes many performances and activities related to Hakka culture, which is beneficial for introducing Hakka culture and enhancing the ethnic identity of Hakka people worldwide, as well as the recognition of Chinese culture."

不断迁徙中的客家人有很强的“寻根”情结

11月2日，第六届世界客商大会将在“世界客都”广东梅州开幕。客商的独特精神品质是什么？客家商人为何能形成一个著名商帮？世界客商大会对全球客家人的意义是什么？就相关问题，羊城晚报记者专访了华南理工大学新闻与传播学院新闻系主任、客家文化研究所副所长李小华教授。

迁徙史赋予客家人强大的自我调适能力

客家是中国汉族的一个重要民系，起源于中原地区，由于战乱和人口压力开始大规模迁徙到南方。明清以后，大批客家人走向海外谋生，足迹遍布全球。据不完全统计，当前全球有8000多万客家人，分布在80多个国家。

作为汉族的一个重要民系，客家人传承了中华民族勤劳勇敢、艰苦奋斗、务实求真等优良传统。在不断迁徙的过程中，客家人也形成了自己独特的精神品格。

“客家人的历史，就是一部迁徙史。”李小华教授认为，在迁徙历史中成长起来的客家人，有着极强的适应能力。

大约两晋南北朝时期，客家人从北方迁徙到赣闽粤等地区，在山多田少的情况下，艰难生存并且世世代代扎根下来。近代以来，客家人大规模出海谋生，并在所在国做出一番业绩。“从‘开荒’到‘开埠’，体现了客家人不断开拓的进取精神”。客家人此前一直生活在山区，但到了海外也能接受海洋商业文明的影响，逐渐学会经商，这展现出客家人内生的适应性。

为应对海外复杂的生存环境，这些客商群体聚合在一起，组建了客家会馆、商会等社团组织，抱团取暖、互帮互助，形成商帮。

“客家话有个词叫‘硬颈’，喻指客家人在困境中不轻易低头、坚韧顽强的品格。”正是这种独特的“硬颈精神”，让客家族群能够在不同时代、不同地域环境中顽强地生存下来，并且涌现出如李光耀、李显龙父子等政坛风云人物及“东南亚钢铁大王”何侨生、“领带大王”曾宪梓、“香港皮革大王”田家炳等商界巨擘。

客家人有很强的“寻根”意识

长久以来的迁徙并没有让客家人稀释在其他族群中，反而散布在全球各地，成为汉族一个重要的民系。客家是唯一一个不以地域命名的民系。

“这是因为客家人有很强的‘寻根意识’。”李小华教授认为，这种意识增强了客家族群的凝聚力和向心力。

“客家有句谚语‘宁卖祖宗田，不忘祖宗言’，客家话是客家人身份辨识的重要工具。现在有很多网站，如客家新闻网、客家网、客家缘等都是年轻人在维护更新，他们不计报酬宣传客家话，靠的就是强烈的‘延续客家话，永记客家人’的情怀。”语言是交际的工具，是文化的载体，更是思维的外化。客家话承载了客家文化，也联结了族群情感。海外客家人都有一种不忘母语方言，根在中华的强烈意识。因此，对于侨居他乡的客家人而言，其“寻根”情结和建设家乡的桑梓之情从未改变。

同时，在不断迁徙的过程中，客家人一直保持着崇文重教的优良传统。“在东南亚，有很多客家人兴办的华人学校。值得一提的是，印尼、马来西亚的客家华校已经形成了一定规模，推动了华文教育在海外华人社会的开展。这些学校对客家文化的传承和发展也起到了推动的作用。” 李小华教授提及她在印尼调研时遇到的一个情景：“我为完成一个省级课题去印尼调研，在雅加达永定会馆遇到一位退休的中学老师，他是40年代出生的老华侨，每周在会馆免费给华人子女补习中文，虽然他已经加入印尼国籍，但在跟我聊天时一直说‘我们中国人，我们客家人’。客家华人的这种中华情怀令人感动。”

谈及第六届世界客商大会的举办，李小华教授表示，“通过这次盛会，全球客商齐聚一堂，除了能够推进广东商贸洽谈、招商引资外，也增进了海内外客家乡亲的情感。同时，这次大会的日程有很多客家文化相关的演出和活动，这有利于促进客家文化的传播，增进全球客家人的族群认同和中华文化的认同。”

文｜记者 王瑜瑛 赵鹏
责编 | 王楠
校对 | 周勇