Policy Problems of Urban Hakka: The Example of New Taipei City
Pao-Chien Wang *(pdf file)
Abstract
The history of Hakka development in greater Taipei shows that the Xinzhuang area was not only the metropolitan area of northern Taiwan but also the hub of Hakka settlements during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). However, New Taipei City’s contemporary Hakka image does not show enough local culture and its Yimin Festival just copies Hsinchu’s Hakka image. To build New Taipei City’s Hakka image and promote urban Hakka development, the government needs to integrate the “old-Hakka” and “new-Hakka”, to establish the local festival, and to develop life experiences embedded in the land. This paper employs theories on public policy as well as research methods of literature review to discuss the Hakka development in New Taipei City. It is found that the main policy problem is, Hakka policies are dominated by Hakka associations or groups. Most Hakka groups are organized by “new-Hakka”, leading to a government policy that ignores the local old-Hakka. Meanwhile, members of most Hakka associations are getting old and it has become increasingly difficult for them to recruit young people, increasing the government’s difficulties in promoting Hakka affairs. A solution is suggested that the government help build Hakka settlements, which combine people and lands. In order to establish the Hakka collective memory of New Taipei City, the government should create the local festivals based on local people’s life experiences.
Keywords: Hakka society, collective memory, Hakka settlement