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Hakka Americans (客家美國人 or 客裔美國人), also called American Hakka, are
Han people The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive var ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
of
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
origin, mostly from present-day
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
,
Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
, and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
. Many Hakka Americans have connections to Hakka diaspora in
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
, the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
,
South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
,
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
, and
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
. The Han characters for Hakka () literally mean "guest families". Unlike other Han ethnic groups, the Hakkas are not named after a geographical region, e.g. a province, county or city. The Hakkas usually identify with people who speak the Hakka language or share at least some Hakka ancestry. The earliest Hakka immigrants to what is now the United States mostly went to
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, starting when the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent islan ...
was an independent sovereign state. After the lifting of the
Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplo ...
by the passage of the Magnuson Act in 1943, the Hakka began to come to the US from
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
and to a lesser extent
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
,
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
and the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
.


Countries of Origin


Taiwan

The first wave of
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
ese migration to the United States involved mostly post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
immigrants from the area now ruled by
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
(''
Waishengren ''Waishengren'' (), sometimes called mainlanders, are a group of migrants who arrived in Taiwan from mainland China between the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945, and Kuomintang retreat and the end of the Chinese Civil War ...
''), most of whom were not Hakka. Later, the other Taiwanese people, whose ancestors arrived in Taiwan before 1945, including many Hakkas, started immigrating in larger numbers after the 1960s. It is estimated that there are currently over 20,000 Taiwanese Hakka in the United States.


Mainland China

Some Hakka Americans came from
Meizhou Meizhou (, Hakka Chinese: Mòichû) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, China. It has an area of , and a population of 3,873,239 million as of the 2020 census. It comprises Meijiang District, Meixian District, Xingning Cit ...
(also called ''Kaying'' or ''Jiaying''),
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, or otherwise have ancestral roots in that area. A small number of Hakka came to the continental US before the 1882
Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplo ...
. Some Hakka also went to Hawaii, where they consisted a significant minority of the population.


Jamaica

During the 1960s and 1970s, substantial migration of Jamaican Hakkas to the US and Canada occurred. Most Chinese Jamaicans are Hakka; they have a long history in
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
. Between 1854 and 1884, nearly 5000 Hakkas arrived in Jamaica in three major voyages, with some of them subsequently going to the United States. Many of these people also have African ancestry.


Distribution in the US


Hawaii

A significant minority of early Chinese immigrants to
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, and even fewer to the
Continental US The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
, were Hakka, and much of the animosity between the Hakka and
Punti ''Punti'' ( zh, t=本地, j=bun2 dei6, l=locals) is a Cantonese endonym referring to the native Cantonese people of Guangdong and Guangxi. ''Punti'' designates Weitou dialect-speaking locals in contrast to other Yue Chinese speakers and other ...
Cantonese people carried over. In the first half of the 1800s, around 30 percent of Chinese in Hawaii were of Hakka, while only about 3 percent in the West Coast were Hakka. There was a communal ban on intermarriages between the two groups for the first generation of migrants. In the middle of the 19th century, Hakka immigrants in America were excluded from membership in the Chinese organizations. The largest surge of immigration in that century occurred after an 1876 treaty between the US and
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent islan ...
led to an increased need for labor. Chinese revolutionary leader
Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...
lived in Hawaii for several years during his youth.


Organizations

Many organizations have been formed to promote Hakka culture in the US. One group is the New England Hakka Association, which reminds its members not to forget their roots. One example is a blog by Ying Han Brach called "Searching for My Hakka Roots". Another group is the Hakka Association of New York, which aims to promote Hakka culture across the five boroughs of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. In the mid 1970s, the Hakka Benevolent Association in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
(San Francisco Jiaying Association) was founded by Tu Chung. The association has strong ties with the San Francisco community and offers scholarships to their young members. The most prominent association in Hawaii is the Tsung Tsin Association (), which was founded in
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the isla ...
in 1918 under the name ''Nin Fo Fui Kon'' (). It provides scholarships to US citizens in Hawaii that are preferably of Hakka background and/or interested in the Hakka culture.


Languages

The
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...
reported that 1,350 people in the United States speak Hakka at home. The actual number may be much higher because some respondents just filled out their response as "Chinese". Some Hakka Americans speak
Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...
or
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
instead.


Cuisine

There are some restaurants in the U.S. serving Hakka cuisine. American food writer Linda Lau Anusasananan wrote a popular Hakka cookbook simply titled, ''The Hakka Cookbook'' (
University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facul ...
, 2014).


Notable people

*
Anya Ayoung-Chee Anya Ayoung-Chee (born October 17, 1981) is a Trinidadian fashion designer, model and television host. She was Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago 2008 and was a contestant in the Miss Universe 2008 pageant. She was the winner of ''Project Runw ...
(born 1981), Trinidadian fashion designer, model and television host *
Lisa Biagiotti Lisa Biagiotti (born August 20, 1979) is a filmmaker and journalist based in Los Angeles. She is the director and on-camera correspondent of ''On the Streets'', a Los Angeles Times 12-part series and 72-minute feature documentary on homelessn ...
(born 1979), filmmaker and journalist based in Los Angeles *
Shu-Park Chan Shu-Park Chan (1929–February 22, 2013) was a Chinese-born electrical engineer who served for many years as a professor at Santa Clara University and went on to found International Technological University and serve as its first president. Earl ...
(1929–2013), Chinese-born electrical engineer who served for many years as a professor at Santa Clara University and went on to found International Technological University and serve as its first president *
Steven N. S. Cheung Steven Ng-Sheong Cheung ( born December 1, 1935) is a Hong Kong-born American economist who specializes in the fields of transaction costs and property rights, following the approach of new institutional economics. He achieved his public fame wi ...
(born 1935), Hong-Kong-born American economist who specializes in the fields of transaction costs and property rights *
Clive Chin Clive Chin (born 14 May 1954 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a son of Vincent "Randy" Chin. He is a Hakka Chinese Jamaican record producer whose work includes recordings by The Wailers, Dennis Brown, Lee Perry and Black Uhuru, among others. Chin was ...
(born 1954), Jamaican record producer * Dennis Chin (1937–2003), soccer player *
Shawn Chin Shawn Chin (born May 11, 1989) is an American professional soccer player. Personal Chin is of Jamaican and Chinese descent. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and attended Felix Varela High School, where he was named Miami Player of t ...
(born 1989), soccer player * Vincent "Randy" Chin (1937–2003), Jamaican record producer and label owner who ran the Randy's shop * David Chiu, (, born 1970), American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly * Ting-Chao Chou (, born 1938), Hakka American theoretical biologist, pharmacologist, cancer researcher and inventor * Lesley Ma (born 1980, Ma Wei-chung, ), younger daughter of Republic of China (Taiwan) President
Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei fro ...
* Mark Chung (born 1970), soccer player *
Supa Dups Dwayne Chin-Quee, better known as Supa Dups, is a Jamaican record producer, a drummer, and selector based in Miami, Florida. He is a member of the Black Chiney sound system. His father is a second generation Chinese Jamaican, and his mother ...
, born Dwayne Chin-Quee, Jamaican record producer, a drummer, and selector based in Miami, Florida *
Goo Kim Fui Goo Kim Fui ( zh, t=古今輝, p=Gǔ Jīnhuī, 1835–1908) was an influential Chinese merchant, community leader, and philanthropist. He was a defender of the Chinese people during the exclusion act in Honolulu in the 1880s and played an instr ...
(1835–1908) merchant, community leader, and philanthropist in Hawaii * Kong Tai Heong (1875–1951), first female Hakka doctor in Hawaii中國婦女傳記詞典 * MC Jin (born 1982), born Jin Au-Yeung, Hong Kong American rapper, songwriter *
Paula Williams Madison Paula Williams Madison is an American journalist, writer, businessperson, executive and a former NBCUniversal executive who is now CEO of a family investment group based in Chicago. On May 20, 2011, she retired from NBC after more than 35 years in ...
(born 1953), American journalist, writer, businessperson, and executive * Carolyn Lei-Lanilau (born 1946), American poet and academic * Li Tiejun (1904–2002), Kuomintang general *
Liao Zhongkai Liao Zhongkai (April 23, 1877 – August 20, 1925) was a Chinese-American Kuomintang leader and financier. He was the principal architect of the first Kuomintang–Chinese Communist Party (KMT–CCP) United Front in the 1920s. He was assassina ...
(1877–1925), American-born, a Kuomintang leader, financier and assassination victim * Cho-Liang Lin (, born 1960), Taiwanese American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras * Dyana Liu (born 1981), Taiwanese-born American actress *
Patrick Soon-Shiong Patrick Soon-Shiong (born July 29, 1952) is a Chinese-South African transplant surgeon, billionaire businessman, bioscientist, and media proprietor. He is the inventor of the drug Abraxane, which became known for its efficacy against lung, bre ...
(, born 1952), South African surgeon, medical researcher, businessman, philanthropist, and professor at University of California at Los Angeles * Sun Fo Sun Fo or Sun Ke ( 1891–1973), courtesy name Zhesheng (), high-ranking official in the government of the Republic of China and the son of Sun Yat-sen, with his first wife Lu Muzhen. *
Nora Sun Nora Sun (August 6, 1937 – January 29, 2011) was a Chinese-American diplomat, businesswoman, and daughter of Sun Fo and Rosa Lam/Lan Yi, and granddaughter of Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen. She was the founder of the Hong Kong-based Nor ...
(, 1937–2011), Chinese American diplomat, businesswoman, and granddaughter of Sun Yat-sen * Ching W. Tang (, born 1947), Hong Kong-born American physical chemist *
Paul Tseng Paul Tseng () was a Chinese-American (Hakka Taiwanese) and Canadian applied mathematician and a professor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington. Tseng was recognized by his peers to be one of ...
(1959–2009), Taiwanese-born American and Canadian applied mathematician and a professor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Washington *
Joanna Wang Joanna Wang () is a Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter, daughter of renowned music producer Wang Zhi-ping (王治平). Born in Taipei but raised in Los Angeles, California, Wang dropped out from Gabrielino High School when she was 16. Her d ...
(), Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter, daughter of renowned music producer Wang Zhi-ping () * Lianxing Wen () (born 1968), Chinese seismologist, geodynamicist and planetary scientist *
Shing-Tung Yau Shing-Tung Yau (; ; born April 4, 1949) is a Chinese-American mathematician and the William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. In April 2022, Yau announced retirement from Harvard to become Chair Professor of mathem ...
(; born 1949), Chinese-born American mathematician. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1982 * Yiaway Yeh (, born 1978), former city councilmember and mayor of Palo Alto, California * Amos Yong (born 1965), Asian American Pentecostal theologian * Katherine Young (1901–2005), American centenarian and alleged oldest internet user * Gene Yu (), United States Military Academy graduate, former U.S. Army Special Forces officer and author, nephew of Ma Ying-jeou *
Patsy Yuen Patricia Teresa Yuen Leung (born 1952) is a Jamaican designer and beauty pageant titleholder. She was Miss Jamaica World 1973, and the second runner-up in the Miss World pageant that same year. Early life Yuen was born to a Hakka Chinese Jamaica ...
(born 1952), Jamaican costume designer and beauty queen * Kane Kosugi


References


Bibliography

* {{Asian Americans Chinese American