
The Hakka’s ancestors were often said to have arrived from what is today’s central China centuries ago. In a series of migrations, the Hakkas moved, settled in their present locations in southern China, and then often migrated overseas to various Countries throughout the world. The worldwide population of Hakkas is about 80 million.
Hakka people have had a significant influence on the course of Chinese and world history: in particular, they have been a source of many revolutionary, government, and military leaders.
何谓“客家”?
客家人旅居海外的国家和地区极广,有句谚语:海水流到处有华人,有华人处有客人。客家人认为 “以山为主,我为客”,故自称客家。客家,是一个具有显著特征的汉族民系,也是汉族在世界上分布范围最广阔、影响最深远的民系之一。
因战乱,客家人自四世纪初东晋 “五胡乱华” 开始不断向南迁徒,甚至梯山航海移居海外,在迁移中,艰苦奋斗,勤劳俭朴,勇于开拓,白手创业,形成 “客家精神”。
北宋初又大批南移,定居于粤、湘、赣、闽等省交界地区,最终形成相对成熟的、具有很强稳定性的客家民系。“客家三州” 为梅州、赣州、汀州。此后,客家人又以梅州为基地,大量外迁到全国乃至世界各地。
客家语系出中原黄河流域的一支汉人,经南迁后,其分布地区极广,客家人分布国内 (大陆) 广东、江西、福建、四川、广西等14个省以上,共230多个县市,台湾省,香港,澳门, 海外五大洲81个国家和地区。全世界客家总人口为8,000万人。