Welcome to the tribe! 😀 My maternal grandmother was Hakka and the aunt of a famous conductor in China who (my memory fuzzy) I think either performed or wrote a piece inspired by tulou. My maternal grandfather was too, but grew up on Borneo. I guess that makes me...1/4? Maybe we're related! 😜
Thank you for this, Kristin. I am particularly struck by the paragraph quoting Hak Joon Lee. A faith unconnected to identity and the situations of our lives is ultimately not helpful and also less interesting.
Yes! I had another quote by Daniel D Lee in there too that I love, about how we can't bring unrecognized parts of ourselves to God to be healed and reconciled to God...but ended up going with Lee's pithy quote. Thanks for reading!
Lovely. I love exploring my origins. What’s amazing about it is there’s always something new to discover. I feel like there’s still so much to discover. Thank you for sharing!!
Kristin, I love this story and your illustrations, especially the fishing scene and the Hakka house. I agree that roots matter. So much of our family culture can be better understood when we have access to the stories of those who raised our ancestors. I had the pleasure of visiting my g.great grandmother’s home with my mom. I was with her as she slowly and deliberately took in the settings of our shared lineage. I heard her stories and now pass them on.
I hope to hear more as you discover your Hakka, and other branches of your heritage.
Yes, I do think it matters. I have to admit, I am a bit ignorant about Chinese/Hong Kong history and it is my first time hearing about Hakka, but now I am interested to learn! Your post it comics are such a delight to read! =)
This reminds me of when Lisa Sharon Harper talks about European peoples giving up their particular ethnicities for the benefit of being “white” or “American.” I have long thought about the foods, the languages, the stories I don’t know about my Irish, Norwegian, French ancestors. My dad has tried to recover them.
I didn’t know my maternal grandmother was Hakka until I older either! I think I already had a pretty strong identify as Taiwanese-American by then so while it was interesting, I didn’t really pursue looking further into it though, and my mom also dislikes talking a lot about her past…. I once asked my parents to write out their life story for me for my birthday, and my dad provided me with an 18-page opus and my mom just refused to do it, saying it was too difficult for her. :(
Thank you for sharing this part of you!
Thanks for reading, Elena!
Love this so much! I love Hakka food, and I love that all the subway announcements in Taiwan are also in Hakka.
I didn't know that about the subway announcements - very cool! Now I need to explore Hakka food!
Welcome to the tribe! 😀 My maternal grandmother was Hakka and the aunt of a famous conductor in China who (my memory fuzzy) I think either performed or wrote a piece inspired by tulou. My maternal grandfather was too, but grew up on Borneo. I guess that makes me...1/4? Maybe we're related! 😜
That is so cool, Angela! Hakka people are truly everywhere. I'm thrilled to join the club :)
Thank you for this, Kristin. I am particularly struck by the paragraph quoting Hak Joon Lee. A faith unconnected to identity and the situations of our lives is ultimately not helpful and also less interesting.
Yes! I had another quote by Daniel D Lee in there too that I love, about how we can't bring unrecognized parts of ourselves to God to be healed and reconciled to God...but ended up going with Lee's pithy quote. Thanks for reading!
Lovely. I love exploring my origins. What’s amazing about it is there’s always something new to discover. I feel like there’s still so much to discover. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for reading, Hannah! Yes - each new detail is such a gift.
Kristin, I love this story and your illustrations, especially the fishing scene and the Hakka house. I agree that roots matter. So much of our family culture can be better understood when we have access to the stories of those who raised our ancestors. I had the pleasure of visiting my g.great grandmother’s home with my mom. I was with her as she slowly and deliberately took in the settings of our shared lineage. I heard her stories and now pass them on.
I hope to hear more as you discover your Hakka, and other branches of your heritage.
I love that, Janet! Thank you for reading and for your encouragement.
Yes, I do think it matters. I have to admit, I am a bit ignorant about Chinese/Hong Kong history and it is my first time hearing about Hakka, but now I am interested to learn! Your post it comics are such a delight to read! =)
Thanks for reading, Boram! I'm always learning new things about the world, too...lifelong journey :)
This reminds me of when Lisa Sharon Harper talks about European peoples giving up their particular ethnicities for the benefit of being “white” or “American.” I have long thought about the foods, the languages, the stories I don’t know about my Irish, Norwegian, French ancestors. My dad has tried to recover them.
Yes, I think each of us benefits from that specificity - I hope you get to learn more aout your own ancestor's stories <3
I didn’t know my maternal grandmother was Hakka until I older either! I think I already had a pretty strong identify as Taiwanese-American by then so while it was interesting, I didn’t really pursue looking further into it though, and my mom also dislikes talking a lot about her past…. I once asked my parents to write out their life story for me for my birthday, and my dad provided me with an 18-page opus and my mom just refused to do it, saying it was too difficult for her. :(
That's fascinting, Joy! Yes - our parents often don't want to look back at the past, which I understand, but I want to know more.
Wow, Kristin! Yes, it matters. 💛
You get it, Tasha :)
Loved the topic! It does matter. Your comics are so vivid, btw! 😍
Hakka dishes are so yummy. Maybe Try some authentic ones to see whether the taste could activate the memories in your genes.😄
You know what is the part I am most impressed? Your grandma visited from Hong Kong!👏👏👏
I know, I'm so so so thankful that she visited this summer! I need to find some Hakka dishes! Thanks for reading <3