Research & Library
Publications
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Kinship and Community in Two Chinese Villages Translation and Revisits (Complex Chinese Edition)
Publication Date:Author: Burton PasternakChief Editor: Huang, Shiun-WeyPublication Date: February 2021This volume, Kinship and Community in Two Chinese Villages: Translation and Revisits, is a collaborative project between the Hakka Cultural Development Center, Hakka Affairs Council and Research Fellow Huang Hsuan-wei of the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica. It presents the Complex Chinese translation of American anthropologist Prof. Burton Pasternak’s seminal 1960s study Kinship and Community in Two Chinese Villages, which examined kinship structures and community organization in two southern Taiwanese villages—Tatie Village in Xinpi Township (新埤鄉打鐵村), Pingtung (a Hakka settlement within the Liugdui region) and Chung-she Village in Lioujia (六甲區中社里) District, Tainan (a Southern Hokkien settlement).In addition to the translation, the research team revisited the original field sites, comparing present-day conditions with those described in Pasternak’s ethnography. In 2020, the team also conducted an oral history interview with Prof. Pasternak, reflecting on his field experiences and the broader context of his anthropological research in Taiwan. These revisits and interviews are included in this edition, enriching the dialogue between past and present scholarship.As the first translated academic work published by the Hakka Cultural Development Center, this volume seeks to promote international exchange in Hakka and Taiwan studies, expanding the accessibility and impact of foundational ethnographic research, while fulfilling the Center’s mission to foster diverse and comprehensive documentation of Hakka culture.
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2018-2019 Biennial Report
Publication Date:The biennial report compiles the researches, collections, exhibitions, extension education and public services of Taiwan Hakka Cultural Development Center (THCDC) during 2018 to 2019. The goal for THCDC is to build the excellent quality museums, to preserve and pass down the Hakka cultural heritage.
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Hakka: History, Culture, and Impressions
Publication Date:Authors: Noriko Iijima, Kawai Hironao, and Hiroshi KobayashiTranslator: Chou Chun-yuPublication Date: January 2021Most existing publications on the Hakka people tend to emphasize their distinctiveness and cultural excellence. While such portrayals help strengthen Hakka ethnic consciousness, they often create an overly idealized image that feels discordant to those who are themselves Hakka or have lived among them.In response, the authors —Iijima Noriko, Hironao Kawai, and Kobayashi Hiroshi — seek to present a more balanced and comprehensive picture of Hakka society through clear, accessible writing and grounded scholarship. Drawing on a wide range of research findings, case studies, and extensive fieldwork, this book integrates different perspectives to reveal the Hakka’s rich diversity.Structured around three major themes — History and Geography, Life and Customs, and Representation and Identity — the volume explores thirty subtopics. Each topic introduces key cultural phenomena, traces their origins, and examines how various viewpoints interpret them.The authors, who have long conducted field research across East Asia, draw from their first-hand experiences living and interacting with Hakka communities. Their vivid observations and approachable prose invite readers to experience the many facets of Hakka life and culture across the world.
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Hakka Rituals and Gender: Field Notes on “Gu-po Tablets,” Placement in the Ancestral Tower, and Female Ritual Assistants
Publication Date:Authors: Lai Yu-ching, Dai Cheng-lun , and Lo Ting-yaPublication Date: Second Edition, December 2020In its effort to play the role of a “forum museum,” the Hakka Cultural Development Center, Hakka Affairs Council has conducted long-term research and cultural outreach on Hakka social rituals and gender issues. Drawing upon data from cultural heritage surveys, gender studies, and grant-supported projects on social rituals since the Council’s establishment in 2004, the Center launched a new phase of research in August 2018. This phase combined data collection, interviews, field documentation, and forum-style exchanges to uncover and share touching stories from Hakka clans in northern and southern Taiwan that have initiated new practices such as the enshrinement of “Gu-po Tablets” (memorial tablets for unmarried or childless women), the inclusion of such tablets in ancestral towers (家塚, family burial shrines), and the participation of female ritual assistants (禮生).The findings reveal that Hakka clans in different regions have developed distinct customs and interpretations of these practices, influenced by their local histories, cultural backgrounds, and ecological conditions. Such variations can be seen in the establishment of memorial tablets for unmarried or deceased women, or in their enshrinement within ancestral towers or family burial shrines.The first version of this field documentation was published in 2018 and reprinted in 2019. This second edition builds upon the 2019 first edition (focused primarily on northern Taiwan) by incorporating new case studies and forum discussions from southern Hakka communities, thereby presenting a comparative perspective on the practices of Gu-po Tablets and ancestral tower enshrinement across northern and southern Taiwan. The publication serves as a platform for sharing the evolving experiences of Hakka families and for fostering deeper understanding of gender, ritual reform, and cultural transformation in contemporary Hakka society.
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The Exhibition and Performance Album of the Hakka Cultural Development Center, 2017–2018 (with CD)
Publication Date:Editor/Author: Hakka Cultural Development Center, Hakka Affairs CouncilPublication Date: First Edition, June 2020The Hakka Cultural Development Center, Hakka Affairs Council manages the national Hakka cultural parks in northern and southern Taiwan, bearing the important mission of preserving, transmitting, and promoting Hakka culture. These parks serve as vital public spaces for cultural engagement—linking Hakka communities, tourism, and local industries to revitalize the cultural landscape of Hakka villages. The exhibitions in both parks highlight three major themes:1. The historical context of the development of Taiwan’s Hakka communities (Taiwan Hakka);2. Interactions between Hakka and other ethnic groups (Multiethnic Taiwan);3. From Local Roots to the Global Hakka World (Global Hakka).In addition, the Center established the Big Lion Brother Puppet Troupe, inspired by the stone guardian lions of Dalu-guan in Gaoshu Township, Liugdui, and recruited volunteers to perform original musical and dance theater productions that vividly depict the stories and everyday life of southern Hakka villages.This album—the first of its kind—collects the highlights of the Center’s exhibitions and performances from 2017 to 2018, accompanied by a CD. It aims to extend the vitality of Hakka performing arts, reach a wider audience, and present a more diverse and dynamic stage for Hakka cultural expression.
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A Divine Greeting, Bagˋ Gungˊ (Earth God)! (Picture Book)
Publication Date:Editor/Author: Hakka Cultural Development Center, Hakka Affairs Council Publication Date: May 2020To help children learn more about Hakka culture, the Hakka Cultural Development Center, Hakka Affairs Council has in recent years published a series of picture books themed around Hakka festivals and traditional crafts. The year 2020’s new release, A Divine Greeting, Bagˋ Gungˊ(Earth God)!, is a cultural picture book adapted from the popular puppet show The Big Lion Brother and His Family performed at the Liugdui Hakka Cultural Park.In this story, readers follow Big Lion Brother and his family as they are introduced to Bagˋ Gungˊ (伯公)—the Earth God, a central deity in Hakka belief who embodies protection, gratitude, and community spirit. Through colorful illustrations and engaging storytelling, the book invites young readers to experience the warmth and reverence that the Hakka people hold for their guardian deity.
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Siinˇ Mungˇ(With A Grateful Heart): Hakka Taiwan・Taiwan Hakka
Publication Date:Authors: Chang Wei-an, Hsieh Shih-chung, Liu Jui-chaoPublication Date: First Edition, September 2019With Siinˇ Mungˇ（a grateful heart）toward Taiwanese society, the Taiwanese Hakka has made this island an ever more beautiful land. Across the plains and foothills of the island, the Hakka people have cultivated a traditional rural culture grounded in respect for nature, sustainability, and communal harmony. Through literature, art, and music, they have joined with other ethnic groups to shape Taiwan’s contemporary values, inspiring cultural creativity and strengthening the spirit of civil society.This chapter of Hakka history—originating from the broader Chinese cultural tradition yet transformed into a distinct island identity—resonates with Hakka communities around the world, standing as a precious example of human cultural diversity and shared civilization.
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Hakka Rituals and Gender: Field Notes on “Gu-po Tablets,” Placement in the Ancestral Tower, and Female Ritual Assistants
Publication Date:Authors: Lai Yu-ching, Dai Cheng-lun, and Lo Ting-yaPublication Date: First Edition, July 2019In its effort to serve as a “forum museum,” the Hakka Cultural Development Center of the Hakka Affairs Council conducted an initial survey between August 2018 and June 2019 on several emerging practices in Hakka ancestral rituals—namely the installation of “Gu-po Tablets” (ancestral memorial tablets for unmarried or childless women), the inclusion of these tablets in ancestral towers (family burial shrines), and the participation of female ritual assistants (禮生).The findings reveal that many Hakka clans have begun to move beyond the traditional patrilineal framework, revising ancestral ceremonies to recognize the role of women within the lineage. These transformations include allowing women to be registered as family members, granting them ritual participation rights, serving as ritual assistants, and honoring female ancestors through Gu-po tablets and ancestral tower inclusion—some even updating family genealogies to reflect these changes.The study also found that numerous clans face challenges when attempting such reforms, highlighting the need for broader awareness and dialogue. To improve this, the Center organized forums and experience-sharing sessions, which have since drawn considerable attention from Hakka communities, gradually sparking wider discussions on gender equality and ritual innovation in Hakka society.
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The Fantastic Voyage to Liugdui (Picture Book)
Publication Date:Text: Yeh Chen-chunIllustrations: Chen Chao-anPublication Date: First Edition, June 2019This picture book, The Fantastic Voyage to Liugdui, draws inspiration from the permanent exhibition “hangˇ liau jiangˊjiangˊliugˋdui” (行尞‧靚靚六堆, Traveling through Beautiful Liugdui) and from the folk stories of the Liugdui Hakka villages. The main characters, Big Lion Brother and Little Lion Sister, are inspired by the stone guardian lions of Dalu-guan in Gaoshu Township, Liugdui. Transformed from these traditional stone sculptures, they have become beloved mascots representing the region’s charm and cultural vitality.In the story, Big Lion Brother boards a “flying ship” in a dream and travels back more than three hundred years to the early days of Hakka settlement in Liugdui. Facing perilous seas and countless hardships, he and his companions risk their lives to cross the Black Water Channel (黑水溝, Taiwan Strait) in pursuit of a better life. After enduring many trials and overcoming obstacles, they finally reach a land where they can live in peace and prosperity. The book offers children a vivid and inspiring introduction to the pioneering spirit of the Liugdui Hakka people.
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Museums and Hakka Studies
Publication Date:Editors: Chang Wei-an, Ho Chin-liang, and Kawai HironaoContributors: Wang Sung-shan, Yoshida Kenji, Ho Chin-liang, Lu Yi-ping, Chiu Hsiu-ying, Kawai Hironao, Lin Yen-fu, Fan Chih-ying, Chang Wei-an, Cheung Sidney C.H., Cheung Stephen, Chang Han-pi, Huang, Shiun-Wey, Huang Shin-yang, Siripen Ungsitipoonporn, Liu Yu-shan, Hsieh Shih-chung, and Yuji SekiPublication Date: First Edition, December 2018Although museums may pursue a wide range of objectives, research remains the foundation of all museum work. Museums and Hakka Studies can be seen as a scholarly dialogue on the idea of the “Hakka Ethnographic Museum.” According to academic estimates, there are more than 60 million Hakka people worldwide, and numerous institutions—named as Hakka cultural museums, Hakka heritage halls, or Hakka cultural centers—have been established in various regions. Yet, when measured against the strict criteria of museology, there is still significant room for growth.For a museum devoted to Hakka cultural heritage to truly fulfill the role of a museum, it must not only embody professional curatorial standards but also be deeply grounded in Hakka research. This publication thus bridges museum studies and Hakka scholarship, exploring how Hakka identity, material culture, and community memory can be preserved, interpreted, and presented within the evolving framework of contemporary museology.
