"This is my ancestral surname!" At the Hakka Museum of China in Meizhou, Barbara Peek, an Aboriginal–Chinese Australian, grew visibly excited when she saw a calligraphic display of the Chinese surname "Yao" and tightly embraced Valerie Craigie, a fellow Aboriginal–Chinese Australian. "This visit to Meizhou has deepened my understanding of Hakka culture and made me feel even prouder of my ancestry," Valerie told reporters.

Recently, a delegation of Aboriginal–Chinese Australians led by artist Zhou Xiaoping, Artistic Director of Special Projects at the Museum of Chinese Australian History and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, visited Guangdong. The group traveled to Guangzhou, Meizhou and Zhongshan on a roots-seeking journey.

"Aboriginal–Chinese Australians should not be forgotten"

In the latter half of the 19th century, large numbers of people from Guangdong left their homes and sought their fortunes in Australia's gold rushes. Some formed families with local Aboriginal people, giving rise to the Aboriginal–Chinese Australian community. Artist Zhou Xiaoping has been conducting research in this field for about 30 years. An exhibition curated by Zhou, "Our Story: Aboriginal–Chinese People in Australia," is currently on display at the Guangzhou Library.

Zhou said these families are living links between Chinese migrants and Aboriginal communities in Australia. Their ancestors also developed and passed on skills such as farming and craftsmanship in Australia, making tangible contributions to local communities. "Based on our research, we believe these members of the delegation are all descendants of Hakka people. They used to know that they had Chinese ancestry, but that was about all. After visiting Meizhou in person, they have formed a much deeper emotional connection with Hakka culture. That is profoundly meaningful," Zhou said.

"I am Hakka!"

"I have always been proud of my Chinese ancestry, and this trip has made that feeling even stronger," Valerie said, adding that the greatest gain from the visit was turning a once-vague awareness into something concrete.

Barbara said, "There are many elements of Chinese culture in our lives. In our local community, we also have dragon dance activities. Food is where this is even more evident. We grew up using chopsticks, and not only me—my children use chopsticks too. We also eat a lot of vegetables at home."

At the Hakka Museum of China, a visit originally scheduled for one hour was extended again and again. The members of the delegation stopped at almost every exhibit to learn more and take photos. "I want to photograph everything here and take it back to show my children," Valerie said. Before leaving, the members also asked museum staff to teach them a Hakka phrase: "I am Hakka!"

澳大利亚华裔原住民梅州寻根:“我对华人血统更感光荣！”

“这是我先辈的姓氏！”在梅州市中国客家博物馆，澳大利亚华裔原住民芭芭拉看到“姚”姓的书法展示非常激动，和同为华裔原住民的瓦莱利紧紧拥抱。瓦莱利对记者说：“这一次来梅州，我加深了对客家文化的了解，让我对自己的血统更感光荣。”

近日，由澳大利亚华人历史博物馆艺术总监、墨尔本大学亚洲学院荣誉研究员、艺术家周小平带队的澳大利亚华裔原住民代表团一行来到广东，走访广州、梅州、中山等地开展寻根参访活动。

“华裔原住民不应被遗忘”

19世纪下半叶，大批广东先民背井离乡奔赴澳大利亚“淘金”，其中部分人与当地原住民组建了家庭，形成了澳大利亚华裔原住民群体。艺术家周小平已经从事相关研究约30年，日前，周小平作为策展人的展览《我们的故事——澳大利亚华裔原住民》，正在广州图书馆展出。

周小平指出，这些家庭承载着独特的血脉传承，他们的祖先更将农耕、手工等技能在澳大利亚发扬光大，为当地社区做出了切实贡献。“据我们推测，这几位原住民华人代表都是客家人的后代。他们以前知道自己身上有华人血统，但仅此而已。来到梅州实体走访后，他们和客家文化有了更多的情感联结，意义非常重大。”

“𠊎系客家人！”

“我一直对我的华人血统感到自豪，这一趟之后这种感觉更强烈了！”瓦莱利坦言，此行最大的收获是让模糊的认知变得具体。

芭芭拉说：“我们生活中有很多中华文化元素，我们当地也有舞龙的活动。饮食上体现更多，我们从小就用筷子，而且不仅是我，我的子女们也都用筷子。我们在家里面也会吃大量蔬菜。”

在中国客家博物馆，原定一个小时的行程被“拖了又拖”，几位原住民华人代表几乎在每一个展品前都要详细了解、拍照留念。瓦莱利说。“我要把这里的一切都拍下来，带回去给我的孩子们看。”在离开之前，几位华裔原住民代表还找工作人员学会了一句客家话：“𠊎系客家人！”

文、图｜记者 曾潇
视频｜记者 曾潇 黎杰文
翻译｜郑奕玲
审校｜曾敏