PERSISTENCE & PRESERVATION OF HAKKA CULTURE
(**) Chinese.
35
The present study, based on a sample of fourteen major Wai-chow (Hweichow) associations in Hong Kong, sought to:
1. Delineate the different stages in the history of the Waichow Hakkas' migration to Hong Kong in terms of their social background and settlement pattern and their influence.
2. Discuss intensively the role of the Waichow Hakkas' voluntary associations in urban situations in order to find out how the Waichow Hakkas' particular culture is perpetuated and preserved, and also to determine the obstacles which confront their associations as cultural mechanisms for perpetuating and preserving Hakka culture.
To my knowledge, there are few anthropological publications concentrating on Chinese voluntary associations, especially the traditional ones, in Hong Kong. To fill this gap I selected the Waichow group and its associations for a case study. Data presented in the paper were mostly collected in the field during the academic year 1978-79.
Methodologically, this study fits into what Freedman (1963:19) has called the "Chinese phase in social anthropology": in which anthropological, sociological, and historical materials and techniques are combined to provide a fairly complete picture of a complex society. In other words, the method employed relies not only on personal interviews and participant observation but also on historical documents, including association publications, local gazetteers, newspapers, government publications, and clan genealogies. Much material was gathered through open-ended interviews and conversations with association leaders and members. Since most association leaders are from China and speak Mandarin, I needed an assistant to interpret on only a few occasions. In addition, I found that both my Chinese cultural background and previous field experience working on the Hakka associations in Singapore were helpful in handling the problems in the field.2
II. THE WAICHOW HAKKA IN HONG KONG
A. Migration Pattern
The history of the migration of the Waichow Hakka to the Hong Kong area may be divided into three stages in terms of their