Who wrote the history of Ganzhou? Who developed the land in Ganzhou? Why have immigrants from the north been so fond of this landscape for thousands of years? Why do the descendants of the Hakka people living in different parts of the world have such deep reverence for this place? It was once the home of wanderers and the base camp for people traveling from north to south. The ancient roads of the Tang Dynasty and the bronze tripods of the 21st century all tell the vicissitudes of the past of Hakka Ganzhou.
In 2004 AD, a 5-meter-tall bronze tripod was placed on the bank of the Gan River under the ancient city of Ganzhou. In Chinese tradition, the tripod is a symbol of power and also represents huge centripetal force. Ganzhou has been a place far away from the center of power since ancient times. So what makes Ganzhou people in the 21st century choose this tripod as the symbol of the city?
"My Hakka ancestors are descendants of the Yan and Huang people." From the inscription on the tripod, it is easy to see that it was cast in memory of the ancestors of the Hakka people. This shows that the land of Ganzhou has some special connection with the history of the Hakka people. So what kind of connection is this that makes people today use it as a symbol of the city? For this reason, we need to go into history, explore the origins of the Hakka ancestors, and find their connection with this land.
In the 4th century AD, China's history was in the Jin Dynasty. Due to the decline of the rule of the Jin Dynasty, the princes and nobles fought for the imperial power. For a time, the Central Plains was full of wars and wars were frequent. This was the famous "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" in history. Taking advantage of this war, the cavalry of the northern nomads took advantage of the situation and entered the Central Plains, and in one fell swoop entered the Henan area, the center of the dynasty's rule.
Faced with this unprecedented catastrophe, ordinary people fled their homes to avoid the war, which led to the first great migration of the Central Plains population in Chinese history. The direction is to the south, away from the war.
A considerable part of this group of people looking for a new home followed the Yangtze River and entered the Ganjiang River Basin. When they reached the source of the Ganjiang River, an open land appeared in front of them. The land here is vast and sparsely populated, the undulating mountains and rivers are their protection, and the crisscrossing rivers are their livelihood, so they stayed here.
The preferred residence of northern immigrants is today's Ganzhou. It is the only way from northern China to the southeastern region. It is also the first place on this route that is both far away from war and owns a large amount of land. place. Therefore, in the eyes of the refugees, it naturally became a paradise for them to live in peace. Because they came from far away and lived here as guests, over time, people called these special residents "Hakkas", and Ganzhou became the earliest base camp of the Hakkas.
In order to find evidence of this period of history, Ganzhou historian Liu Jinfeng took us to the site of an ancient transportation artery.
This is an ancient post road. From the Jin Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the war in the north, a large number of immigrants crossed the Yangtze River and went upstream, then climbed over the Wuyi Mountains and followed this road, and finally passed through this The gate entered southern Jiangxi, so it was an important passage for northern immigrants to move southward at that time. According to research by local scholars, the Hakka ancestors who arrived in Ganzhou from the water landed at the foot of today's Ganzhou City.
However, the ancient post road and the water of Ganjiang River are beyond words. If the first large-scale migration of Hakka ancestors to the south during the Jin and Jin Dynasties settled here, is there any Hakka information related to that era here? To this end, Liu Jinfeng took us into the countryside of Ganzhou.
Today, most of the residents in Ganzhou are Hakkas, and almost every family here keeps dozens of thick family trees. Historically, the Hakka people have attached great importance to the compilation of family trees. This tradition has extended over time, and the family trees have recorded every trace of their ancestors' migrations over thousands of years. This has also become an important basis for today's literary and historian scholars to verify history. . It is in these genealogies that Liu Jinfeng found important information about the early Hakka ancestors for us.
It was first in Yingchuan and later moved from Yingchuan to Songyang in Zhejiang Province. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was moved to Ningdu (Ganzhou) due to wars and wars in remote areas. After the ancestors came, they spread out. Go to various places in southern Jiangxi.
This genealogy tells future generations that their ancestral home was Yingchuan, Henan, and they moved to Ganzhou during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This is exactly the same time as the place where the war took place 1,700 years ago and the migration of the early Hakka ancestors.
The arrival of the Hakka ancestors broke the peace of this land. The advanced farming technology in the north allowed a large amount of land in Ganzhou to be developed. From then on, this red land supported the immigrants from the north and witnessed their reproduction. As the years passed, it gradually gained a new calm. However, more than 400 years after the arrival of this generation of Hakkas, the arrival of another group of northern immigrants once again broke its tranquility.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, China's territory was reunified, and the hinterland of the Central Plains once again became the political, economic and cultural center. In the first half of the 8th century AD, the land of China ushered in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. The prosperous Central Plains also became the center of international exchanges with its cultural prosperity and economic prosperity.
However, the Anshi Rebellion that began in 755 AD once again introduced the troops of the northern nomads into the Central Plains, and China's history entered a period of great disaster. The Anshi Rebellion not only directly destroyed the prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty, but also led to the separatist rule and constant wars in northern China in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. The long-term war caused a large number of northern civilians to lose their lives and land, and the displaced people had to move their families southward. The scale far exceeded the refugee flow during the Jin Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty. They followed the southward route of their predecessors to pursue their fellow villagers who had lived in the south for a long time. At this time, Ganzhou once again became the base camp for immigrants migrating south.
According to historical records, the southern migration of northerners from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties lasted for more than 70 years. The influx of a large number of people also expanded the administrative seat of Ganzhou from 7 counties to 11 counties during the Five Dynasties period.
If the Hakkas during the Jin and Jin Dynasties were the first generation of pioneers, then what did the Hakkas from the late Tang Dynasty leave for this land? Are there any traces of that era in Ganzhou today?
In the suburbs of Ganzhou City, there is a peculiar village name that caught our attention. It is called "Wenfang Village". The peculiar thing is the word "fang" in the name of the village. The Tang Dynasty set up the "Lifang system" for the city's organizational structure, and "fang" was the unique name for streets and lanes of that era.
This place is called Wenfang, and "fang" is the word "fang" next to the word "tu", right? This is very interesting, because the Han people from the Central Plains immigrated to the south and brought some place names from the north to the south. , so this place is called Wenfang.
When immigrants enter Ganzhou, they naturally become Hakkas. The residents of Wenfang Village have long been integrated with the land of Ganzhou. But the imprint of the ancestors, just like the name of the village, will always travel through time and space inadvertently, passing on long-lasting information to future generations.
Where did the wandering Hakka people start from? What made the Hakka people look for a new home? How many southbound footsteps have been left on the Meiguan Ancient Road? What ancient legends are recalled in ancient door lists?
Now, when we face this bronze cauldron again, we feel a little more emotional and reminiscing. However, upon closer inspection, the base of this tripod seems a little strange. Why is it made of three different colors of stone, uncharacteristically?
Since the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, with the continuous influx of northern immigrants, Ganzhou has gradually become overcrowded from its previous vast territory and sparsely populated area. Ganzhou is located at the junction of Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian. The coastal areas south of Ganzhou have always been rarely set foot in by Central Plains people. There is a large amount of uncultivated land and rich seafood resources. As a result, many Hakkas in Ganzhou bid farewell to their hometowns and once again extended their migration southward. The path they took to move south this time has become an important place for people today to commemorate their Hakka ancestors.
Through this ancient post road, the Hakka ancestors arrived in southern Jiangxi and then climbed over Wuyi Mountain to enter western Fujian, such as Changting and Ninghua. Then they walked south and crossed the army of Huichang. Menling then went to the eastern Guangdong area, which is now the area of ??Meizhou and Xingning. Therefore, from this point of view, it is also an important passage for the Hakka people to migrate south.
Since this ancient post road was the only way for the Hakka people to travel from Ganzhou to Fujian and southern Guangdong, later generations inscribed the plaque "Fujian-Guangdong thoroughfare" and regarded this place as the road for the rebirth of the Hakka ancestors. the starting point coordinates.
In Ganzhou, there is also a passage that is of great significance in the history of Hakka migration. Dayu County in Ganzhou is located at the foot of Meiling, one of the five ridges. It is Meiling that divides Guangdong and Jiangxi into Lingnan and Lingbei. Among the mountains of Meiling, there is a winding and rugged thousand-year-old road. Along the ancient road to the top of the mountain, there is an ancient gate tower, which is Meiguan.
Today, it has become a famous tourist attraction. It has a special attraction for tourists. Therefore, taking pictures on the Guan side is in Jiangxi, while taking pictures on the other side is in Guangdong. It is here that the Meiguan Ancient Road passes through Meiguan. ridge.
This ancient road was built in the Tang Dynasty. It was an important passage connecting the Lingnan region and the Central Plains. It was also a hub of the Maritime Silk Road. It is precisely because of its existence that generations of Hakka ancestors used the ancient road to cross Meiguan and enter Lingnan to find a new home. Walking down Meiling, you will arrive at Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong, Guangdong. Historically, Zhuji Lane has always had a special meaning in the hearts of the Hakka people in Lingnan.
According to the current information and genealogy, the ancestors of the residents living in the Pearl River Delta area all passed through the Ganjiang River in Jiangxi, and then came to Zhuji Lane through the Dayumeiguan Ancient Post Road, and then in After cultural integration and mentality adjustment, Zhuji Lane continued to immigrate to the Pearl River Delta, and then gathered to settle in the Pearl River Delta, becoming the ancestors of the residents of today's Pearl River Delta region, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Hong Kong and Macao.
For thousands of years, the Hakka ancestors who bid farewell to Ganzhou rested and adjusted in Zhuji Lane, regrouped and began their history of developing Lingnan and building their homes.
The special geographical location where the three provinces intersect allows Ganzhou to continuously welcome immigrants from the north and send away families from the south. Since then, the footprints of the Hakka people have spread all over the southeastern coast, and this pioneering spirit that is not afraid of hardships and dangers has also made their descendants the earliest overseas immigrants in Chinese history. But the Hakka people who set out from Ganzhou, no matter where they are, have feelings for the base camp that are passed down from generation to generation. In their hearts, Ganzhou is their hometown, a place where their ancestors shed sweat and tears.
It is precisely because the Hakka people who moved south from Ganzhou mainly moved to Guangdong and Fujian. Therefore, when modern Ganzhou people built memorial altars to commemorate the Hakka ancestors, they came from Ganzhou, Guangdong, and Fujian respectively. Stones with local soil characteristics were selected as the cornerstone of the bronze tripod, symbolizing that their ancestors came from the same source.
No matter where they migrate, the Hakka people will always live in groups. The ties of family affection and the cohesive force of the family united them to overcome difficulties and quickly became stronger in an unfamiliar environment. As they are far away from their ancestral homeland, generations of Hakka people have extremely deep emotions and religious worship for their ancestral homeland. This can be clearly seen from the unique inscriptions on the door lists of the Hakka people. Every door list tells people the family's ancestral home and past glory.
The door lists of Hakka people from all over the country almost unanimously tell people that their roots are in the Central Plains. But there is an exception to this in Ganzhou. The door list of this family says: "Praise for Putian". Putian is located in the middle of Fujian. It is in a different direction from the ancestral home of the ancestors in the north. How come Putian has also become the ancestral home of the Hakkas?
The ancestral genealogy of the host family gave us another discovery. It clearly records that the Huang clan moved from Ganzhou to Putian, Fujian Province in the early years, and then moved to Longchuan, Guangdong. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, they moved back to Ganzhou from Longchuan. Route.
From this genealogy, we can clearly see their migration trajectory, so he now respects his ancestor and thinks that he is famous in Putian, which means that he is very famous in Putian. , is a famous family. The history of repeated migration of this family also records another indissoluble bond between Ganzhou and the Hakka people.
Thousands of years of migration, countless generations of spring planting and autumn harvest, and vicissitudes of life. What imprints did the Hakka ancestors leave on Ganzhou? How many legends of the Hakkas in Ganzhou can be interpreted from the mysterious Feng Shui technique, the enclosed houses in the mountains, and the folk customs that have been passed down from generation to generation?
In order to cope with the war, Japanese pirates invaded the southeast coast and the Qing government issued a sea ban. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, in order to prepare for the war, coastal residents were strictly ordered to move 30 miles inland, which resulted in the loss of a large number of coastal residents. The sea and land they depend on for survival, and almost all of these people are Hakkas, and a considerable number of them are descendants of Hakkas who migrated from Ganzhou.
As a result, those coastal people who are struggling to make a living, Following the southward route of their ancestors, they returned to Ganzhou. As a result, a unique phenomenon of return migration in the history of Hakka migration occurred in Ganzhou.
For thousands of years, the Hakka ancestors traveling from south to north have cultivated and developed the land of Ganzhou. In this long process, they not only created a living space for future generations , and also blended the northern living customs and cultural trends with the products and folk customs of this land, gradually forming the humanistic characteristics of Hakka Ganzhou.
Yong tofu is a traditional food loved by Ganzhou people. It stuffs meat filling into tofu and then processes it. It is always on the dining table on festive days. However, few people know that it is the dumpling of the Hakka ancestors.
Dumplings are a traditional food in the north. In the past, they could only be enjoyed on New Year's Eve because they symbolized good luck in the coming year. In the eyes of ancient northerners, eating dumplings was an important ritual. But wheat cannot grow in Ganzhou. Without flour, dumplings would be impossible to eat. Therefore, early northern immigrants used tofu stuffing instead of dumplings to complete their New Year ritual and express their longing for their northern homeland.
Interestingly, among the traditional foods of Ganzhou people, there is also a kind of dumpling. In appearance, it is the same as the dumplings in the north. The difference is that its dough is made of sweet potato flour. Its emergence is directly related to the history of Hakka migration in the south.
Sweet potatoes are native to South America and were introduced to coastal areas of China through maritime trade in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when Hakka people from coastal areas moved back to Ganzhou, this species was brought back to their base camp. Later, people discovered that sweet potatoes could be processed into noodles with high viscosity, so the Hakka people who could not change their nostalgia used it to make dumplings, and Ganzhou people were able to see the original appearance of dumplings.
In the mountainous areas around Ganzhou, there are many fortress-like buildings, which the locals call enclosed houses. They are a unique residential building of the Hakka people in the mountainous areas of Ganzhou. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Hakkas in Ganzhou had accumulated a large amount of wealth through generations of hard work. However, bandits in the mountainous areas continued to threaten the wealthy Hakkas. In order to protect their property and the safety of their tribesmen, they built enclosed houses with high walls and thick walls, which had strong defensive functions. The emergence of enclosed houses provided security for the Hakka people in the mountainous areas of southern Jiangxi, and has also become a major feature of Chinese residential architecture. Later, this architectural form was introduced to Guangdong and Fujian, where the Hakkas also built enclosed houses one after another. Today, the enclosed houses in these areas have become important local cultural landscapes for tourists and scholars to interpret the vicissitudes of the Hakka people.
Speaking of architecture, we must mention the relationship between Ganzhou Hakkas and Feng Shui. Today, Feng Shui has been studied by scholars as the embodiment of Chinese traditional culture in architectural art, while Ganzhou has always It is regarded as the birthplace of Chinese Feng Shui culture, which is also related to the migration history of the Hakka people.
Before the Tang Dynasty, Feng Shui had always been monopolized by the royal family. The war in the late Tang Dynasty caused the royal family members to flee in all directions. At this time, the royal family's Feng Shui master Yang Junsong came to Ganzhou with the refugees. Among the mountains and rivers of Ganzhou, Yang Junsong put his Feng Shui concepts into practice and trained a group of disciples, who gradually spread Feng Shui to the people of Ganzhou. The Hakka people who advocated the culture of the Central Plains quickly accepted the concept of Feng Shui. From then on, the residential villages here appeared to be surrounded by mountains and rivers and pay attention to their orientation. From today's perspective, these buildings complement the landscape environment and are both well-proportioned and dignified.
As the earliest practitioners of Feng Shui, the Hakkas in Ganzhou gradually spread Feng Shui to Hakka villages in various places and then to the whole of China during their subsequent migration.
The history of Ganzhou is a legend of the Hakka people. For more than a thousand years, generations of Hakka children have been raised here, and it has also witnessed their gatherings and separations. For more than a thousand years, Ganzhou has always played an unusual role in the development and growth of the Hakka ethnic group and the spread of culture. And all this has been deeply engraved on this land and will be revealed to future generations forever.