Hakka immigrants' identity and allegiance: Cultural dualism and missiological outreach (China)

This is a missiological research done among a group of Hakka new immigrants coming from Mainland China to the Yuen Long District of the New Territories of Hong Kong. The study has two components. The anthropological component is based on a grounded research in Yuen Long. Other than the new immigrants, a Hakka indigenous village has also been studied. The second component of the research is missional. The purpose is to establish common ground between the Christian Bible and the plight and life of the new immigrants.; The anthropological part of the study has employed participant observation, informal and formal interviews, and focus groups for its investigation. The research employed three theoretical constructs, namely, historical study, the Grid---Group analysis of Mary Douglas and modified by Sherwood Lingenfelter and worldview study.; The study has five research questions covering the history of Hakka migrations, social structures, worldview, folk religion, and biblical and theological relevance to the new immigrants.; The study concluded that duality is the defining feature of Hakka. This duality was created in their experience as migrants living between the lowland Han and highland She tribes on the mountainous frontierland. It was further developed as their social structure and worldview issues made changes in response to the impact of migrations. As a result, duality and Han cultural inclusiveness is an important part of Hakka folk religion.; The dissertation concludes that any gospel outreach to the Hakka must take Hakka duality into consideration, especially in the area of cultural identity and ethnic allegiance. The missionary outreach of the Basel Mission and Maryknoll Orders is given as examples. The dissertation proposes that the Christian gospel should help the Hakka immigrants to become better Hakka and better Chinese in order for them to fulfill both the cultural and evangelistic mandates of Scripture. Christian identity should be an inclusive identity that emerges from the dual identity of the new immigrants being Hakka and Han Chinese at the same time.