The Hakka population in Kaohsiung City is around 320,000 people. Although the Hakka people are a minority in the city, the city government still highly values the Hakka people. In 2005, Hakka Affairs Commission was established to conduct the planning and promotion of Hakka affairs and policies of the City. The businesses are as follows:
I. Hakka Language revival
The Commission guides schools of all levels in the City to establish Hakka language and implement “all Hakka Language teachings,” which Hakka language is the main language used in the class to build an all Hakka learning environment. The Commission also promotes “speaking Hakka at home,” encouraging parents to speak Hakka with children in order to implement the policy of Hakka roots.
II. Preserving and promoting traditional Hakka culture
The commission holds Hakka festivals and cultural events like “New Year Blessing Ceremony,” “Hakka weddings,” and “Year-End Gratitude Ritual” to pass down the traditional Hakka customs and culture. The Commission also established “Hakka Academy” to cultivate talents in Hakka folk arts, language and cultural creative industry.
III. Establishing Hakka facilities and strengthening cultural exchange
The Commission establishes cultural facilities including the “Kaohsiung City Hakka Cultural Park,” “Meinong Hakka Cultural Museum,” and “Meinong Cultural and Creative Center,” updates software and hardware facilities, introduces civil resources and innovations to improve operation performance, and transforms facilities into a multi-cultural exchange platforms.
IV. Building excellent quality of Hakka cultural living environment
The commission investigates Hakka culture, history and landscapes in all districts of the city, discover potential attractions in the region, assist the all agencies of city government in striving for subsidies from the central government for the purpose of preserving, restoring and building the excellent quality of Hakka cultural and living environment in the city.
V. Developing industries with Hakka characteristics
The Commission is in charge of Hakka industry counseling and promotion projects. We combine the culture, landscapes and tourism resources in Hakka villages to develop industries with Hakka characteristics and cultural creative industry, as well as increasing the added value of the industry and the brand and reviving Hakka economics.
Multiculturalism is a symbol of advanced city. The Commission takes the policy of “Hakka everywhere” as the core value and promotes Hakka language revival and culture inheritance in homes, communities and campus. Through building the cultural living environment, we will bring the local feature of Hakka culture priority development area into full play, and aiming to build Kaohsiung City as a multicultural city and an area with balanced regional development.