“Language is so important,” says Chin, who is of Hakka descent. “If you’re a Hakka person, it is your identity.”

Language varieties

Chin was inspired to join Tsung Tsin after witnessing his late great uncle’s involvement. He also attributes his family’s immigration to Canada to two great uncles – both of whom left east Malaysia during the 60s just as Pierre Trudeau was working on his multiculturalism policies. According to Chin, this region of Malaysia, where Qilin dances are popular, is notable for its high population of Hakka people.

“What’s interesting about east Malaysia is that most people can speak about five different dialects in a single sentence,” he explains. “Typically, Hakka people speak Hakka at home, [and] they had to learn other dialects.”

He adds that there are about five to six major variations of Hakka, along with addition subgroups. The Hakkas’ migration at different times and to various parts of the world makes it challenging to account for the exact number of variations – the Taiwan-based Hakka Affairs Council recognizes five main dialects and several less popular ones.

At the local Tsung Tsin events, Chin most often hears the Malaysian and Hong Kongese versions. The former of which reflects how the organization’s current membership is predominantly from southeast Asia, particularly east Malaysia. For the board member, the organization’s two most popular dialects are mutually comprehensible.

“As I start going to the major Fujian area, it starts to sound a little bit more like mandarin, and then the Taiwan version is one that I have the toughest time understanding,” he shares, noting that the language is often ‘frozen’ to the time of the speakers’ migration out of China. “I can make out about half of the words…the tones are different.”

Chin envisions his language classes to be practical, bringing students outside a traditional classroom. While he is still finalizing the plans, he hopes to teach Hakka through activities like cooking classes, walks around Chinatown and grocery shopping. As for the choice of dialect, Chin remains open to all the options but will most likely begin with the one he knows best– the Southern Guangdong version.

History in the making

While the Tsung Tsin association was only registered under the Societies Act in 1971, a local Hakka club has existed in Vancouver since 1944. Chin notes that the club’s early days saw a high percentage of Hakkas from Guangdong. He sees this trend as aligning with historical factors driving migration out of China, including the second Sino-Japanese war.

“During the mid-late 1800s, Hakka people dispersed all over the world, partly because of opportunity and partly because of the turmoil at home,” he adds, citing the Caribbean, Mauritius and Jamaica as other places where the Hakkas settled.

Chin adds that, in 1982, the Tsung Tsin association had roughly 300 members; by 1990, the number had grown to around 900 members. Today, the number of active members is in the hundreds, while there are around 2, 000 members registered.

With an interest in history and cultural heritage, Chin serves on the board of directors of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C. His research into Hakka migration suggests that there were around four to five major waves throughout history – the last of which related to the opening of shipping lanes by the British and other foreign powers.

“There was a lot of wars going on, a lot of strife and struggle, and you wouldn’t declare that you were Hakka,” he explains, referring to persecution of the group during the Qing Dynasty.

He adds that these tensions could be felt overseas as well, relegating the language to only being spoken in the privacy of one’s home. Despite this history, Chin points out that the Hakkas have played a major role in Chinese Canadian history. Chang Toy of the historic Sam Kee Company was of Hakka heritage.

Translating its name as ‘to uphold righteousness,” he sees the organization as embodying the Hakka people’s contributions to Canadian society, which is shared by the rest of the Chinese Canadian community.

“Like many Chinese societies, [we’re] benevolent in nature, that’s [our] mandate,” Chin says. “One of the things we want to do is continue that, give when we can and help when we can.”

As for how the organization’s name is pronounced, Chin remarks that it depends on the dialect.

The UN Chinese Language Day returns April 20. This is one of two articles focused on exploring Hakka language and culture.

For more information, see www.hakkabc.com