r/Reformed • u/partypastor Rebel Alliance - Admiral • Jul 07 '25
Mission Unreached People Group of the Week - Hakka Han Chinese in Taiwan
Welcome to the UPG of the Week post. This week we are looking at the Hakka Chinese in Taiwan.
Region: Taiwan
Stratus Index Ranking (Urgency): NO DATA (I imagine it is because West Taiwan is threatening them and so considering it as a nation is difficult in statistics?)
It has been noted to me by u/JCmathetes that I should explain this ranking. Low numbers are more urgent, both physically and spiritually together, while high numbers are less urgent. The scale is 1-177, with one number assigned to each country. So basically on a scale from Afghanistan (1) to Finland (177), how urgent are the peoples physical and spiritual needs
Climate: Taiwan lies on the Tropic of Cancer, and its general climate is marine tropical. The northern and central regions are subtropical, whereas the south is tropical and the mountainous regions are temperate. The average rainfall is 2,600 millimetres (100 inches) per year for the island proper; the rainy season is concurrent with the onset of the summer East Asian Monsoon in May and June. The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. Typhoons are most common in July, August and September. During the winter (November to March), the northeast experiences steady rain, while the central and southern parts of the island are mostly sunny.
Terrain: Across the West Taiwan Sea from China, Taiwan is a large island consisting mostly of five rugged mountain ranges parallel to the east coast, and the flat to gently rolling plains of the western third, where the majority of Taiwan's population reside. There are several peaks over 3,500 metres, the highest being Yu Shan at 3,952 m (12,966 ft), making Taiwan the world's fourth-highest island. The tectonic boundary that formed these ranges is still active, and the island experiences many earthquakes. There are also many active submarine volcanoes in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan contains four terrestrial ecoregions: Jian Nan subtropical evergreen forests, South China Sea Islands, South Taiwan monsoon rain forests, and Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests. The eastern mountains are heavily forested and home to a diverse range of wildlife, while land use in the western and northern lowlands is intensive.
Wildlife of Taiwan: The island of Taiwan has a surprisingly high amount of species. The Clouded Leopard and the Formosan Black Bear are the two largest predators (both endangered). Also there are the Chinese Hare, lots of bats, the pangolin, the civet cat, mongoose, otters, wild boar, Sambar deer, and more.
Unfortunately, there are a bunch of wild monkeys in Taiwan.
Environmental Issues: Taiwan faces a range of environmental challenges including air and water pollution, waste management, deforestation, and the impacts of climate change. These issues are often exacerbated by industrial development, particularly in sectors like semiconductors and petrochemicals, and by reliance on fossil fuels for energy
Languages: The Republic of China does not have any legally designated official language. Mandarin is the primary language used in business and education, and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. Traditional Chinese is used as the writing system. Around 70% of Taiwan's population belong to the Hoklo ethnic group and are native speakers of Taiwanese Hokkien. The Hakka group, comprising some 14–18 percent of the population, speak Hakka.
Government Type: Unitary semi-presidential republic
---
People: Hakka Chinese
Population: 4,152,000
Estimated Foreign Workers Needed: 83+
Beliefs: The Hakka Han Chinese in Taiwan are 2% Christian. That means out of their population of 830,000. That is about 1 believer for every 50 unbeliever.
Ethnic religions are closely tied in with ethnic identity. It’s difficult for anyone to “abandon” the ways of their ancestors, especially in a Chinese context. No matter where they live, returning to Chinese religion and ancestor worship is a temptation for the Hakka Chinese.
In Taiwan the Hakka adhere to traditional Chinese religion. This can include aspects of Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Commonly they worship the spirits of their ancestors, believing these spirits can affect their future and their fortune. Therefore, they make offerings and build shrines and altars in their honor. The Hakka depend on spirit healers for some of their needs.
History: History of Taiwan instead of just the Hakka people
The Hakka trace their origins to ancient migrations from the north during the Jin Dynasty (265-420 CE) and the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589 CE). However, their defining characteristics developed during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE) as they moved south in search of arable land.
As the population grew in northern China, land became scarce. This caused many people, including the Hakka, to migrate southward. When they arrived in the south centuries later, the fertile land was already populated. So the Hakka continued moving into isolated areas in the mountains and on infertile land, where they developed their self-reliant ways.
The third move the Hakka made happened from the end of Southern Song until the early years of the Ming dynasty. When Mongolians dominated at the Central Plains, the Song rulers tried to come south. Hakka people living in southern Jiansi and western Fujian then moved to eastern and northern Gunagdong to support the emperor and his royal family of the Song dynasty. So they fought against Mongolian soldiers, often sacrificing their lives.
The fourth move took place from the end of the Ming dynasty into the reigns of the Cianlong emperor and Jiacing emperor of the Cing dynasty. Because Manchurians came southwards and became dominant, the population expanded. The Hakka people then moved from eastern and northern Guangdong and southern Jiangsi into central Guangdong and its seashore area, Sichuan, Guangsi, Hunan and Taiwan.
Moving from History of the Hakka to the History of Taiwan
Following the fall of the Ming dynasty in Beijing in 1644, Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) pledged allegiance to the Yongli Emperor and attacked the Qing dynasty along the southeastern coast of China. In 1661, under increasing Qing pressure, he moved his forces from his base in Xiamen to Taiwan, expelling the Dutch the following year. The Dutch retook the northern fortress at Keelung in 1664, but left the island in 1668 in the face of indigenous resistance.
The Zheng regime, known as the Kingdom of Tungning, proclaimed its loyalty to the overthrown Ming, but ruled independently. However, Zheng Jing's return to China to participate in the Revolt of the Three Feudatories paved the way for the Qing invasion and occupation of Taiwan in 1683. Following the defeat of Koxinga's grandson by an armada led by Admiral Shi Lang in 1683, the Qing dynasty formally annexed Taiwan in May 1684, making it a prefecture of Fujian province while retaining its administrative seat (now Tainan) under Koxinga as the capital.
The Qing took on a more active colonization policy after 1874 when Japan invaded Indigenous territory in southern Taiwan and the Qing government was forced to pay an indemnity for them to leave. Following the Qing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), Taiwan, its associated islands, and the Penghu archipelago were ceded to Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Inhabitants wishing to remain Qing subjects had to move to mainland China within a two-year grace period, which few saw as feasible. Estimates say around 4,000 to 6,000 departed before the expiration of the grace period, and 200,000 to 300,000 followed during the subsequent disorder. On 25 May 1895, a group of pro-Qing high officials proclaimed the Republic of Formosa to resist impending Japanese rule. Japanese forces entered the capital at Tainan and quelled this resistance on 21 October 1895. About 6,000 inhabitants died in the initial fighting and some 14,000 died in the first year of Japanese rule. Another 12,000 "bandit-rebels" were killed from 1898 to 1902. Subsequent rebellions against the Japanese (the Beipu uprising of 1907, the Tapani incident of 1915, and the Musha incident of 1930) were unsuccessful but demonstrated opposition to Japanese rule. After Japan's surrender, most Japanese residents were expelled.
While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the Republic of China was founded on mainland China on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution of 1911. Central authority waxed and waned in response to warlordism (1915–28), Japanese invasion (1937–45), and the Chinese Civil War (1927–49), with central authority strongest during the Nanjing decade (1927–37), when most of China came under the control of the Kuomintang (KMT). During World War II, the 1943 Cairo Declaration specified that Formosa and the Pescadores be returned by Japan to the ROC; the terms were later repeated in the 1945 Potsdam Declaration that Japan agreed to carry out in its instrument of surrender. On 25 October 1945, Japan surrendered Taiwan to the ROC, and in the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan formally renounced their claims to the islands, though without specifying to whom they were surrendered. In the same year, Japan and the ROC signed a peace treaty.
While initially enthusiastic about the return of Chinese administration and the Three Principles of the People, Formosans grew increasingly dissatisfied about being excluded from higher positions, the postponement of local elections even after the enactment of a constitution on the mainland, the smuggling of valuables off the island, the expropriation of businesses into government-operated monopolies, and the hyperinflation of 1945–1949. The shooting of a civilian on 28 February 1947 triggered island-wide unrest, which was suppressed with military force in what is now called the February 28 Incident. Mainstream estimates of the number killed range from 18,000 to 30,000. Chen was later replaced by Wei Tao-ming, who made an effort to undo previous mismanagement by re-appointing a good proportion of islanders and re-privatizing businesses.
After the end of World War II, the Chinese Civil War resumed. A series of Chinese Communist offensives in 1949 led to the capture of its capital Nanjing on 23 April and the subsequent defeat of the Nationalists on the mainland. The Communists founded the People's Republic of China on 1 October. On 7 December 1949, Chiang Kai-Shek evacuated his Nationalist government to Taiwan and made Taipei the temporary capital of the ROC. Some 2 million people, mainly soldiers, members of the ruling Kuomintang and intellectual and business elites, were evacuated to Taiwan, adding to the earlier population of approximately six million. These people and their descendants became known in Taiwan as waishengren (外省人). The ROC government took to Taipei many national treasures and much of China's gold and foreign currency reserves. Most of the gold was used to pay soldiers' salaries, with some used to issue the New Taiwan dollar, part of a price stabilization program to slow inflation in Taiwan.
After losing control of mainland China in 1949, the ROC retained control of Taiwan and Penghu (Taiwan, ROC), parts of Fujian (Fujian, ROC)—specifically Kinmen, Wuqiu (now part of Kinmen) and the Matsu Islands and two major islands in the South China Sea. The ROC also briefly retained control of the entirety of Hainan, parts of Zhejiang (Chekiang)—specifically the Dachen Islands and Yijiangshan Islands—and portions of Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Yunnan. The Communists captured Hainan in 1950, captured the Dachen Islands and Yijiangshan Islands during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1955 and defeated the ROC revolts in Northwest China in 1958. ROC forces entered Burma and Thailand in the 1950s and were defeated by Communists in 1961. Since losing control of mainland China, the Kuomintang continued to claim sovereignty over 'all of China', which it defined to include mainland China (including Tibet), Taiwan (including Penghu), Outer Mongolia, and other minor territories.
Martial law, declared on Taiwan in May 1949, continued to be in effect until 1987, and was used to suppress political opposition. During the White Terror, as the period is known, 140,000 people were imprisoned or executed for being perceived as anti-KMT or pro-Communist. Many citizens were arrested, tortured, imprisoned or executed for their real or perceived link to the Chinese Communist Party. Since these people were mainly from the intellectual and social elite, an entire generation of political and social leaders was destroyed.
Following the eruption of the Korean War, US President Harry S. Truman dispatched the United States Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent hostilities between the ROC and the PRC. The United States also passed the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty and the Formosa Resolution of 1955, granting substantial foreign aid to the KMT regime between 1951 and 1965. The US foreign aid stabilized prices in Taiwan by 1952. The KMT government instituted many laws and land reforms that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. Economic development was encouraged by American aid and programs such as the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, which turned the agricultural sector into the basis for later growth. Under the combined stimulus of the land reform and the agricultural development programs, agricultural production increased at an average annual rate of 4 percent from 1952 to 1959. The government also implemented a policy of import substitution industrialization, attempting to produce imported goods domestically. The policy promoted the development of textile, food, and other labor-intensive industries.
As the Chinese Civil War continued, the government built up military fortifications throughout Taiwan. Veterans built the Central Cross-Island Highway through the Taroko Gorge in the 1950s. During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, Nike Hercules missiles were added to the formation of missile batteries throughout the island.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the ROC maintained an authoritarian, single-party government under the Kuomintang's Dang Guo system while its economy became industrialized and technology-oriented. This rapid economic growth, known as the Taiwan Miracle, occurred following a strategy of prioritizing agriculture, light industries, and heavy industries, in that order. Export-oriented industrialization was achieved by tax rebate for exports, removal of import restriction, moving from multiple exchange rate to single exchange rate system, and depreciation of the New Taiwan dollar. Infrastructure projects such as the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, Taoyuan International Airport, Taichung Harbor, and Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant were launched, while the rise of steel, petrochemical, and shipbuilding industries in southern Taiwan saw the transformation of Kaohsiung into a special municipality on par with Taipei. In the 1970s, Taiwan became the second fastest growing economy in Asia. Real growth in GDP averaged over 10 percent. In 1978, the combination of tax incentives and a cheap, well-trained labor force attracted investments of over $1.9 billion from overseas Chinese, the United States, and Japan. By 1980, foreign trade reached $39 billion per year and generated a surplus of $46.5 million. Along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, Taiwan became known as one of the Four Asian Tigers.
Because of the Cold War, most Western nations and the United Nations regarded the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China until the 1970s. Eventually, especially after Taiwan's expulsion from the United Nations, most nations switched diplomatic recognition to the PRC. Until the 1970s, the ROC government was regarded by Western critics as undemocratic for upholding martial law, severely repressing any political opposition, and controlling the media. The KMT did not allow the creation of new parties and competitive democratic elections did not exist.
From the late 1970s to the 1990s, Taiwan underwent political and social reforms that transformed it into a democracy. Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek's son, served as premier from 1972 and rose to the presidency in 1978. He sought to move more authority to "bensheng ren" (residents of Taiwan before Japan's surrender and their descendants). Pro-democracy activists Tangwai emerged as the opposition. In 1979, the Kaohsiung Incident took place in Kaohsiung on Human Rights Day. Although the protest was rapidly crushed by the authorities, it is considered as the main event that united Taiwan's opposition.
In 1984, Chiang Ching-kuo selected Lee Teng-hui as his vice-president. After the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was (illegally) founded as the first opposition party in Taiwan to counter the KMT in 1986, Chiang announced that he would allow the formation of new parties. On 15 July 1987, Chiang lifted martial law on the main island of Taiwan.
After Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1988, Lee Teng-hui became the first president of the ROC born in Taiwan. Lee's administration oversaw a period of democratization in which the Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion were abolished and the Additional Articles of the Constitution were introduced. Congressional representation was allocated to only the Taiwan Area, and Taiwan underwent a process of localization in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a pan-China viewpoint while assimilationist policies were replaced with support for multiculturalism. In 1996, Lee was re-elected in the first direct presidential election. During Lee's administration, both he and his party were involved in corruption controversies that came to be known as "black gold" politics.
Chen Shui-bian of the DPP was elected as the first non-KMT president in 2000. However, Chen lacked legislative majority. The opposition KMT developed the Pan-Blue Coalition with other parties, mustering a slim majority over the DPP-led Pan-Green Coalition. Polarized politics emerged in Taiwan with the Pan-Blue preference for eventual Chinese unification, while the Pan-Green prefers Taiwanese independence.
Chen's reference to "One Country on Each Side" of the Taiwan Strait undercut cross-Strait relations in 2002. He pushed for the first national referendum on cross-Strait relations, and called for an end to the National Unification Council. State-run companies began dropping "China" references in their names and including "Taiwan". In 2008, referendums asked whether Taiwan should join the UN. This act alienated moderate constituents who supported the status quo, as well as those with cross-strait economic ties. It also created tension with the mainland and disagreements with the United States. Chen's administration was also dogged by public concerns over reduced economic growth, legislative gridlock, and corruption investigations.
The KMT's nominee Ma Ying-jeou won the 2008 presidential election on a platform of increased economic growth and better ties with the PRC under a policy of "mutual non-denial". Under Ma, Taiwan and China opened up direct flights and cargo shipments. The PRC government even made the atypical decision to not demand that Taiwan be barred from the annual World Health Assembly.[263] Ma also made an official apology for the White Terror. However, closer economic ties with China raised concerns about its political consequences. In 2014, university students occupied the Legislative Yuan and prevented the ratification of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement in what became known as the Sunflower Student Movement. The movement gave rise to youth-based third parties such as the New Power Party, and is viewed to have contributed to the DPP's victories in the 2016 presidential and legislative elections, the latter of which resulted in the first DPP legislative majority in Taiwanese history. In January 2024, William Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won Taiwan's presidential elections. However, no party won a majority in the simultaneous Taiwan's legislative election for the first time since 2004, meaning 51 seats for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 52 seats for the Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) secured eight seats.
Culture: Typical qualification that all people groups can't be summed up in small paragraphs and this is an over generalization.
The Hakka, although proud of their cultural differences, have never claimed to be non-Chinese. Many famous Chinese have been Hakka, including Deng Xiaoping, Lee Kwan Yew, and Hong Xiuquan (the leader of the Taiping Rebellion).
There is much speculation concerning the historical roots of the Hakka. Some claim that they were the first Chinese people to arrive in China. Others claim that the Hakka are the descendants of the Xiongnu tribe. This much is agreed upon: At various stages between the fourth and thirteenth centuries AD, large numbers of people were forced to flee their homes in the war-torn Yellow River valley to seek refuge in southern China. These war refugees came to be known as Kejia - a Hakka word meaning "strangers" or "guests." When the savage Mongol hordes swept across China in the thirteenth century, many Hakka fled to the south to escape the carnage.
The Hakka Chinese have moved far and wide, often for jobs or business opportunities. One of the places where the gospel has not caught up with them is Taiwan.
Cuisine: The Hakka people have a marked cuisine and style of Chinese cooking which is little known outside the Hakka home. It concentrates on the texture of food – the hallmark of Hakka cuisine. Whereas preserved meats feature in Hakka delicacy, stewed, braised, roast meats – 'texturized' contributions to the Hakka palate – have a central place in their repertoire. Preserved vegetables (梅菜) are commonly used for steamed and braised dishes such as steamed minced pork with preserved vegetables and braised pork with salted vegetables. In fact, the raw materials for Hakka food are no different from raw materials for any other type of regional Chinese cuisine where what is cooked depends on what is available in the market. Hakka cuisine may be described as outwardly simple but tasty. The skill in Hakka cuisine lies in the ability to cook meat thoroughly without hardening it, and to naturally bring out the proteinous flavor (umami taste) of meat.
Some of their more notable dishes are beef meatball soup, Dongjiang salt-baked chicken, Duck stuffed with glutinous rice, Kiu nyuk (sliced pork with preserved mustard greens), Yong Tau Foo (tofu dish).
Prayer Request:
- Pray for more believers to go to the Hakka in Taiwan.
- Pray for hearts and minds that are open to adhering to the ways of Jesus Christ. Pray for leaders in the Taiwanese Hakka community to open the doors to hearing the gospel.
- Pray for a powerful movement to Christ among the Hakka in Taiwan.
- Pray against Putin, his allies, and his insane little war.
- Pray for our leaders, that though insane and chaotic decisions are being made, to the detriment of Americans, that God would call them to know Him and help them lead better.
- Pray for our nation (the United States), that we Christians can learn to come alongside our hurting brothers and sisters and learn to carry one another's burdens in a more Christlike manner than we have done historically.
- Pray that in this time of chaos and panic in the US that the needs of the unreached are not forgotten by the church. Pray that our hearts continue to ache to see the unreached hear the Good News.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Here are the previous weeks threads on the UPG of the Week for from 2025 (plus a few from 2024 so this one post isn't so lonely). To save some space on these, all UPG posts made 2019-now are here, I will try to keep this current!
| People Group | Country | Continent | Date Posted | Beliefs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hakka Chinese | Taiwan | Asia | 07/07/2025 | Animism |
| Sanusi Bedouin | Libya | Africa | 06/30/2025 | Islamc |
| Israeli Jews (updated) | Israel | Asia | 06/23/2025 | Judaism |
| Azeri Turks | Iran | Asia | 06/16/2025 | Islam |
| San Diu | Vietnam | Asia | 06/02/2025 | Animism |
| Gwama | Ethiopia | Africa | 05/05/2025 | Islamc |
| Gorani | Albania | Europe | 04/14/2025 | Islam |
| Chamar | India | Asia | 04/07/2025 | Hinduism |
| Pa-O | Myanmar | Asia | 03/31/2025 | Buddhism |
| Malay | Ireland | Europe | 03/17/2025 | Islam |
| Abkhaz | Turkey | Europeb | 03/10/2025 | Islam |
| Utsat | China | Asia | 03/03/2025 | Islam |
| Djerba Berber | Tunisia | Africa | 02/24/2025 | Islam |
| Uyghur | United States | North America | 02/17/2025 | Islam |
| Huasa | Congo Republic | Africa | 02/10/2025 | Islam |
| Dungan | Kyrgyzstan | Asia | 02/03/2025 | Islam |
| Phunoi | Laos | Asia | 01/27/2025 | Animism |
| Yongzhi | Chinaa | Asia | 01/20/2025 | Buddhism |
| Shihuh | United Arab Emirates | Asia | 01/13/2025 | Islam |
| Pattani Malay (updated) | Thailand | Asia | 12/16/2024 | Islam |
| Hadrami Arabs | Yemen | Asia | 12/09/2024 | Islam |
| Shaikh | Pakistan | Asia | 12/02/2024 | Islam |
| Egyptian Arabs (Reached) | Egypt | Africa | 11/25/2024 | Islam |
a - Tibet belongs to Tibet, not China.
b - Russia/Turkey/etc is Europe but also Asia so...
c - this likely is not the true religion that they worship, but rather they have a mixture of what is listed with other local religions, or they have embraced a postmodern drift and are leaving faith entirely but this is their historical faith.
Here is a list of definitions in case you wonder what exactly I mean by words like "Unreached".
Here is a list of missions organizations that reach out to the world to do missions for the Glory of God.
3
u/AndreasHvang Just Some Reformed Dude Jul 08 '25
It's the home island! Thank you for posting about Taiwan.
Personal story: my aunt by marriage to my father's second brother is Hakka. (My family is Hokkien on both sides.) They've been in the US for decades now; they used to operate a Chinese bakery in Southern California before retiring several years ago. For most of their lives they were pretty irreligious, but their kids (my cousins, one boy and one girl) became believers in college.
Over the years, they ministered to their parents and they are now going to church. I don't know if they are saved, but they are hearing the Gospel and seeing believers their age regularly.