The Hakkas

The Hakkas are known to be a tough and resilient people.

They are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people who lived predominantly in the provinces of Guangdong (广东), Jiangxi (江西) and Fujian (福建) in China. Their ancestors are said to have originated in the Henan and Shanxi provinces of northern China over 1,700 years ago.

In a series of migrations, the Hakkas settled in their present locations in southern China, and then migrated overseas to various nations throughout the world.

The Hakkas have had a significant influence on the course of Chinese and overseas Chinese history: in particular, they have been a source of revolutionary and political leaders

Famous Hakkas, according to Japanese writer 根津清 in his book 客家,最强的华族集团 (Hakkas, The Strongest Chinese Group, 1995), the list of famous Hakkas include:

- Founding Father of China Sun Yat Sen (孙中山)
- Leader of the Taiping Rebellion Hong Xiuquan (洪秀全)
- Pioneers of the Chinese Liberation Army Zhu De (朱德), Ye Jianying (叶剑英) and He Long (贺龙)
- Neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi (朱熹) and Wang Yangming (王阳明)
- Former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping (邓小平)
- Former Premier Li Peng (李鹏)
- Former Vice Premier Zou Jiahua (邹家华)
- Former President Yang Shangkun (杨尚昆)
- Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui (李登辉)
- The Soong sisters : Soong Chingling (宋庆龄), Soong Mayling (宋美龄), and Soong Ailing (宋蔼龄)
- Taiwanese movie director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝贤)
- Former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀)