“Hakka Heritage in the Bay Area: Shaping a Shared Future” – Greater Bay Area Hakka Cultural Joint Showcase Concludes Successfully

PolyU Chinese Culture Festival Gathers Over 2,500 Participants in Celebration of Heritage

To promote traditional Chinese culture and foster a profound sense of national pride among students, the thematic October event of the 3rd PolyU Chinese Culture Festival—the “Hakka Heritage in the Bay Area: Shaping a Shared Future” – Greater Bay Area Hakka Cultural Joint Showcase—has concluded with resounding success.

Inaugurated on National Day (1 October 2026) and running through 16 October, the exhibition was co-organised by the Overseas Friendship Associations of Huizhou, Heyuan, Meizhou, and Shaoguan, with strong support from the Guangdong Overseas Friendship Association, the Hong Kong Hakka Association, the Sun Yat-sen University Huizhou Research Institute, and the Sun Yat-sen University Huizhou Alumni Association.

Spanning over two weeks, the event drew more than 2,500 PolyU staff, students, alumni, and members of the public through an immersive thematic exhibition, an original large-scale dance drama, an academic symposium, and hands-on intangible cultural heritage workshops.

Key Event Highlights

1. Thematic Historical Exhibition: A Four-Chapter Epic
Held at the Global Student Hub, the exhibition chronicled Hakka history across four curated chapters: "Origins," "Cultural Flourishing," "Patriotic Devotion," and "Global Connections." It highlighted the five great southward migrations of Hakka pioneers, the architectural ingenuity of enclosed houses (Weiwu), and Hakka folk songs. Featured exhibits included archival materials on the "Great Secret Rescue in Guangdong and Hong Kong" and rare "Qiaopi" (overseas remittance letters), complemented by interactive surname and family motto exploration kiosks. Drawing over 2,000 visits, the exhibition was brought to life by trained PolyU student docents guiding tours for the community.

2. Original Dance Drama: Recreating Wartime Heroism
Staged at PolyU’s Jockey Club Auditorium, the original dance drama "1942 Through the Blockade Line", presented by the renowned Huizhou Song and Dance Theatre, captured the historic rescue of patriotic cultural luminaries from occupied Hong Kong in 1941. Celebrated by literary master Mao Dun as "the greatest rescue endeavour of the War of Resistance," the performance blended Lingnan aesthetics with powerful stage storytelling, reviving the shared historical resilience of Guangdong and Hong Kong and stirring deep patriotic resonance.

3. Academic Symposium: Exploring Cultural Identity
The academic symposium gathered nearly 200 scholars, guests, and students. Prof. Xiao Wenping from Jiaying University delivered a keynote on "Hakka Culture and Overseas Chinese," examining the Hakka migration to Southeast Asia (Nanyang) and their enduring patriotism. Dr Lau Kai-yiu from PolyU addressed "Hakka Culture in Hong Kong: Qilin Dance, Martial Arts, and Cultural Identity," elaborating on how traditional Qilin performances and martial arts have anchored Hakka identity and social cohesion in Hong Kong.

4. Heritage Workshops: Artisans Impart Traditional Craftsmanship
Bringing living heritage directly into campus life, master artisans conducted eight workshops across four key intangible cultural crafts, drawing nearly 200 participants. The sessions featured: the agile stances and moral ethos of Dragon-Style Kung Fu; the centuries-old puppetry manipulation of Meixian String Puppetry; the folk painting and calligraphic couplets of Heyuan Zhongxin Lanterns; and the delicate reverse-side stitching of Ruyuan Yao Embroidery. Integrating hands-on practice with cultural narratives, the workshops offered participants an intimate appreciation of Lingnan craftsmanship.

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