Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 1
Our programme set out in this
Newsletter continues our regular
series of successful meetings:
among these, we had a
fascinating tea demonstration
organised by Sissi Wong, from a
real expert, Mark Nicholls, from
the famous Twinings teashop in
London, about Chinese tea.
There was much more to it than
we had realised. We're looking
forward to Alex Roney's trip on
16th July to the Brighton
Pavilion, which was a grand
venture into what's known as
Chinoiserie, the imitation of
Chinese art styles by the West.
That's an important but
neglected element in Chinese
studies. If you have any ideas for
other adventures of this kind,
please let our Secretary Helen
Marti know.
We now have a new Taiji Qigong
Shibashi expert, Leonie Tarratt,
and we have great hopes that she
will decide to stay with us. Taiji
Qigong Shibashi has always been
our most popular activity, and
she can now take us much more
deeply into what's involved in
these exercises than one can get
from a DVD. Please come to our
twice-monthly Tuesday meetings
if you possibly can, and the AGM
on 4 June: let's have your ideas.
CHINESE CULTURAL GROUP MERTON SUMMER 2013 2013 ISSUEISSUE May 2013
Summer is fast approaching after the second coldest March weather on record ever to occur in the British
Isles. In this issue, there are fascinating insights into the procurement of Western goods in China in recent
years, the Hakka Chinese community by a new contributor, the Chinese propensity for curiosity and love
of gossip and a mouth-watering Hakka recipe. Come and celebrate with us at the Dragon Boat Festival in
June, and Celebrating Age Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival in September. Congratulations to Paul Hider
and his wife, on being proud parents for the first time, JD having arrived.
There is a mini baby boom in this neck of the woods as two staff members of the Wimbledon Guild have
recently gone on maternity leave. The Wimbledon Guild is going through an exciting transition with the
new Ageing Well Programme offering support for older people in Merton, and enabling them to live
independently and preventing social isolation. There will be an informal “drop-in cafe ” with a variety of
activities for a wider audience in the community, and a coaching programme to support older people
recovering from a fall or after a close bereavement. The Chinese Cultural Group Merton would like to
thank the Wimbledon Guild for supporting the group’s activities and meetings held twice a month at the
Guild. New members are welcome to socialise and participate in the Chinese activities and festivals.
Word from the Chairman-Eugene Byrne Inside this issue
Western Goodies 2
The Hakka Chinese 3
Advice for Non-Chinese 4
Membership Renewal Reminder 4
Steamed Pork with Mustard Greens
5
Poem by Du Fu 5
V & A Museum Chinese Art Exhibition
5
Trip to Royal Pavilion Brighton 6
Quotes from Confucius 6
The Four Gentlemen 6
CCGM Programme May-December 2013
7
Punti Versus Hakka 8
夏
Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 2
Paul Hider 海 德 Life in China
Article #7
For Paul’s news see: www.paulinchina.info
When I first lived in China in 1994, the sleepy town
of Duyun in Guizhou Province offered little or
nothing in the way of “western goodies”. There were
five foreigners amongst the population of 350,000
and anything new or exciting appearing in the shops
was immediately snapped up for fear it would never
be seen again. We once spied, and quickly bought,
five bottles of ketchup. Peanut butter suddenly
appeared one day. Maps of the town (in English)
were spotted in a hotel and purchased. The schedule
of a churn of fresh milk appearing in the street, sold
by the ladle, was whispered around like a state
secret. An occasional 4 hour bus ride to the
Provincial capital, Guiyang, could net you some
pasta, a Mars bar or a tin of baked beans. These
would be eked out, or traded with the other
foreigners. Bakers were “bribed” to sell us small
blocks of sweetened butter or jam. Deodorant,
cheese and chocolate were sent by post from the UK
on special occasions. Mobile phones, computers and
photocopiers were yet to find their way to rural
China. The College where I worked was the nearest
place with an internationally connected phone and
students would run to my flat to find me on my
birthday and at Christmas when my parents phoned.
Fast-forward twenty years. I now live in Kunming - a
“second-tier” city in China, unusually small for a
Provincial capital, but still boasting a population as
large as London. Situated in the Southwest of China,
it is far from the westernization of Beijing or
Shanghai but things are changing fast even here. You
can see American fast-food chains in large shopping
areas and cheese, fresh milk and baked beans are
now available if you know where to look. Mobile
phones (and the shops that sell them) are
everywhere – dying fast are the tiny phone kiosks
where you could pay a few jiao for a local call. Many
restaurants have wi-fi and internet cafes are full of
bleary-eyed youngsters shooting each other (or,
strangely, mastering dance routines). Internet
“Skype” has meant I can show off to my parents my
new-born son “JD” in real time (albeit jerkily!) and
websites like “taobao” can deliver almost every
western foodstuff you might desire (for a price).
My wife loves online shopping and can read the
Chinese characters, so I now find myself well-
stocked with cereals, decent coffee, deodorant – even
Branston pickle and Marmite! Although day to day
food is usually local fare, and one adapts to most
cultural norms, having western goodies now and
again still provides a taste of home and allows you to
feel more comfortable in a foreign land.
Western Goodies
A kiosk
James David
born on 28th
March
Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 3
Who are the Hakka Chinese? The inhabitants in
north China may not know, and yet that’s where we
originate from: in the northern region of Henan and
Shanxi. The dialect we speak is also known as Hakka
and there are believed to be some 90-100 million
Hakka speakers worldwide.
Today there are Hakka people in most countries
where there are Chinese communities and in Taiwan
we’re so numerous that the television news is even
broadcast in the Hakka language. But can you guess
which is the country where almost 100% oft the
Chinese population are Hakka?
The Hakkas are not strictly a separate ethnic group:
we’re a subgroup of the Han Chinese and in China we
form seven per cent of the total population. But we
appear to be better known outside China. In any
country where there are Chinese, you will hear our
dialect being spoken. We were among the first
Chinese to leave China to go overseas to find work
and we have since had significant influence in the
course of Chinese history, not just at home, but also
among overseas Chinese.
A few prominent Hakkas
are: Sun Yat Sen, the first
President of China; Deng
Xiao Ping, leader of the
People’s Republic of
China; Lee Kuan Yew,
Prime Minister of
Singapore. They were
named as the Most
Influential Asians
(Chinese) of the 20th
century by Time
Magazine. Yap Ah Loy, founder of Kuala Lumpur; Han
Suyin, famous author; Jimmy Choo, renowned
designer; Woon Wing Yip, Chinese tycoon who
founded the chain of Wing Yip supermarkets; Alan
Yau, founder of Wagamama restaurant chain.
After the fall of the Song dynasty (AD960-1280), the
invaders from Manchuria caused the remaining
Hakkas to retreat to the south. This series of
migrations, which first started as far back as the Jin
dynasty (AD265-420), became known as “The long
migration of 2,000 years”. It ended when they
reached the province of Fujian and, eventually,
Guangdong.
This was when we first became known as the Hakka
Chinese. It’s the Cantonese pronunciation of the
Mandarin “Kejia”, sometimes spelt “Ko-Chia”,
meaning “the guest people”, to distinguish them from
the “Punti”, the native southerners. In Roman letters
it was originally written hack-ka. The “guests” were
not exactly welcomed with open arms and had to
occupy the less desirable lands, mainly in the hills.
Their presence there led to several skirmishes in the
Pearl River Delta in the 19th century which became
known as the Punti-Hakka Clan Wars. Many of the
Hakkas who had settled in Fujian used the Tingjiane
river to migrate south to the more prosperous
province of Guangdong. When it became possible
from the 19th century onwards, those who had
settled in Meixian made their way to Hong Kong and
from there to the four corners of the world – and
some ended up in Mauritius.
It was from Mauritius that Chinese people went to
other countries in the region, such as Madagascar and
South Africa, and they were mainly the Cantonese.
Why did they leave? Perhaps they didn’t like being in
a community where the majority were Hakkas. As a
consequence the Chinese in Mauritius are about 95%
Hakka and 5% Cantonese.
Sun Yat-sen (12 Nov 1866
– 12 Mar 1925)
The Hakka Chinese
By Jacques K. Lee
Hakka farmers in Mauritius
Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 4
For Mandarin learners the best textbook that I know
of is Teach Yourself Chinese (with cassette) in the
Teach Yourself series, by Elizabeth Scurfield. Still
published in revised editions, in my 1991 copy of it
the lessons are interspersed with advice and
comments about life in Mao's China, where she had
lived for some time.
She describes here a characteristic that I believe our
Chinese colleagues will confirm as being enduring, I
hope so anyway, and I think that fortunately the
English are no longer as reticent as they were
formerly.
"The Chinese love to know everybody else's
business and do not feel at all inhibited about
enquiring how much you paid for your house, your
car, your record-player, your television, your clothes
or anything else. They are always particularly
interested in your age, marital status and whether
you have children and if not why not! Although
customs are changing gradually, it is extremely
unusual for a Chinese adult in his or her 30's to be
unmarried or childless. Conversely it is quite in
order for you to ask the same sort of questions.
Being of a 'curious' disposition myself I have always
felt very much at home in China. Of course, as
contact with the outside world increases, many more
Chinese are learning that some foreigners regard
such questions as impolite and may therefore, on
occasions, restrain their natural curiosity (and
genuine openness) on such matters."
A postscript: Elizabeth founded the Chinese
Department at what is now the University of
Westminster, where she was one of my teachers. In
the 1980's I was on a summer course at Renmin
Daxue (the People's University) in Beijing, unaware
that she happened to be in town on a return visit.
She later told me that she had seen me cycling past in
a crowded street, too late to attract my attention.
Advice for Non-Chinese
By Eugene Byrne
Membership Renewal Reminder
Ivy would like to remind members who have not yet
renewed their membership for the year April 2013
to March 2014 that application forms were sent out
with the last newsletter. Renewals would be
welcomed - if application forms have been mislaid,
please phone Ivy on 020 8542 9154 for a
replacement.
Where is your
family? I don’t have a family,
and I don’t want one,
not just yet.
Ivy Salvage on Taiji Qigong teacher
On 16th April Leonie Tarratt led the Taiji Qigong
Shibashi session and it was most enjoyable. Her
relaxed, expert tuition was so thorough that I think
all of us would like to go further with her
instruction and look forward to more sessions. I
think we should also say a big thank-you to all
those members who have led the sessions in the
past and kept us interested.
Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 5
Steamed Pork With Mustard Greens 梅菜扣肉 - By Sissi Wong
This is a traditional Hakka food which is sometimes
referred to as Chinese soul food. Preserved mustard
greens, if used in this dish, will need to be washed
thoroughly to get rid of the grit. The sweet and salty
flavours with a succulent soft meat and rich, umami-
laden sauce is the ultimate comfort food to die for.
A word of caution to those with a predisposition to
high cholesterol as this delicious dish contains high
saturated fats.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/
Cookbook:Steamed_Pork_With_Mustard_Greens
Ingredients:
About 11 ounces mustard greens
1 teaspoon cornstarch combined with 1 teaspoon
cold water
½ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine or water
¾ pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons black bean and garlic sauce
About 2 tablespoons water
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Wash greens and discard tough stems. Bring a large
pot of water to the boil, add greens and time 2
minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the
cooking. Drain again, then cut greens into long
diagonal strips.
In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch and water.
Stir in sugar, soy sauce and rice wine. Cut pork into
thin slices and add to the mixture. Marinate for 20
minutes, stirring occasionally.
Heat oil in a preheated wok or large heavy skillet
over medium heat. Add black bean sauce and stir-fry
1 minute, then add pork and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add
mustard greens and water. Mix well and simmer
gently about 4 to 5 minutes, until pork is cooked
through and greens are tender. Season with pepper
and serve.
The path is paved with poplar catkins, a carpet of white grain,
Lotus leaves on the little stream are piled like green coins.
Among the roots of new bamboo, sprouts that no man has seen,
On the sand nearby, a duckling sleeps beside its mother.
http://www.chinese-poems.com/d30t.html
The Path is Paved With Poplar Catkins - Du Fu (AD712- 770)
漫興
糝徑楊花鋪白氈
點溪荷葉疊青錢
筍根稚子無人見
沙上鳧雛傍母眠
V & A Museum to Stage Show of Chinese Art
Some of the earliest surviving paintings in the world will go on show in an unprecedented exhibition of 1,200 years of Chinese painting, one of the world's greatest artistic traditions. The Victoria and Albert Museum is bringing together 70 works dating from 700 to 1900, including a 14-metre scroll.
Master pieces of Chinese painting 700-1900, supported by friends of the V&A, runs from October 26 to January 19, 2014, admission £12.
Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 6
Trip to the Royal Pavilion Brighton on 16th July 2013 - Alex Roney
Quotes from Confucius (551–479 BC)
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off
the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator.
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms
of 100 years, teach the people.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
Before deciding to come on
this trip - some information
about this magnificent
building!
First built in 1787 by the
extravagant George, later
Prince Regent (hence
"Regency") and later George
IV, it was his retreat enabling
him to carry on his dissolute
lifestyle away from London.
He stayed there frequently
with the (in)famous Mrs
Fitzherbert - his mistress and
allegedly secret wife.
Built with no expense spared
in Indo-Sarascenic style, it
was re-designed and
extended by John Nash in
1815-22 outside, but inside it
was made truly exotic with
Indo- Chinese decoration in
complete contrast to the
Regency style.
Queen Victoria did not like it
(too small) and sold it to
Brighton town. It was a
military hospital in the 1st
World War, and only restored
after WWII.
The Long Gallery at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton,
after recent restoration.
The Four Gentlemen 四君子
The Four Gentlemen, aka the Four Noble Ones, refer to four plants: the orchid,
the bamboo, the chrysanthemum, and the plum blossom. Due to their refined beauty,
they are often portrayed in traditional ink and wash painting under the category
of bird-and-flower painting in Chinese art since the time of the Chinese Song
Dynasty (AD960–1279). The unfolding of the four seasons is represented by
the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, the chrysanthemum for autumn, and
the plum blossom for winter. The orchid represents the spring symbolising humility
and nobility. The stalk of the bamboo is hollow which symbolises tolerance and open-
mindedness, and the flexibility and strength of the bamboo stalk also represents the
human values of cultivation and integrity in which one yields but does not break.
The chrysanthemum blooms in the cold autumn air and foretells the coming of winter,
which symbolises the virtue to withstand all adversities. The plum tree is renowned
for bursting into a riot of blossoms in the dead of winter which exudes an
otherworldly exquisiteness and beautiful elegance thereby serving as a metaphor for
inner beauty and humble display under adverse conditions.
Bamboo at Qingbige Pavillion painted by Ke Jiusi in 1338 (AD 1290-1343).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Gentlemen
Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 7
CCGM PROGRAMME: May-December 2013
All meetings are conducted in English for anyone interested in Chinese culture at the Guild House, 30 – 32
Worple Road SW19 4EF, on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays and begin at 3.30 p.m. with 45 minutes of Tai Chi Qigong
Shibashi exercises followed by a talk or activity. £3.00 per session (Tea & refreshments included)
Date Time Programme Speaker
7th May 3.30-5.30p.m. Taiji Qigong Shibashi Birthday of Buddha
Leonie Tarratt Sissi Wong
21st May 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi Some war criminals I knew
Eugene Byrne
4th June 3.30-5.30 pm Annual General Meeting followed by refreshments Eugene Byrne Sissi Wong
18th June 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi
Dragon Boat Festival party- 端午节
Leonie Tarratt Sissi Wong Ivy Salvage
2nd July 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi Chinese Literature- Some more classical poets
Eugene Byrne
16th July 10 a.m.-Meet at Wimbledon Station
Day trip to The Royal Pavilion, Brighton Alex Roney Christine Evans
August: Closed for the Summer break
3rd September Celebrating Age Festival
3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi The Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, the key revenue provider, Part 1
Leonie Tarratt Eugene Byrne
17th September 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi
Mid-Autumn Festival - 中秋節
Sissi Wong Ivy Salvage
1st October 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi Talk: TBC
Leonie Tarratt Eugene Byrne
15th October 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi The Chinese in Limehouse
Christine Evans
5th November 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi Mahjong session
Leonie Tarratt Helen Chiew Paul Wong
19th November
10.30 a.m. Meet at Wimbledon Station
Visit to British Museum– Please meet at the Information Desk, main entrance at 11.30 a.m.
Eugene Byrne Alex Roney
3rd December 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi The Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, Part 2.
Alex Roney Eugene Byrne
17th December 3.30-5.30 pm Taiji Qigong Shibashi Christmas Celebration with Carol Singing
Alex Roney Ivy Salvage Sissi Wong
Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2013 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 8
Chinese Cultural Group Merton
Guild House, 30/32 Worple Road
Wimbledon, London SW19 4EF
For more information, please contact
Helen Marti, CCGM secretary
on 0208 946 0735 (Tues/Thurs)
We welcome your contributions and feedback, and
would love to hear from you about Chinese culture,
history, food and contemporary events. Please email
to [email protected] or contact
Helen Marti relating to any queries on Chinese
activities.
Check http://issuu.com/ccgm/docs for our
archive file.
In Hong Kong, Punti is a transliteration of
Cantonese 'Boon Dei'
meaning “local” or
“original land” which
refers to the
Cantonese-speaking
populations of
Guangdong province
in southern China.
The term "Punti" is a
Hakka word given to
the Cantonese by the
Hakka people.
"Cantonese" can be used to mean all the dialects
in Guangdong Province, and the Cantonese spoken
in Guangzhou, Canton dialect, is actually a bit
different both in accent and vocabulary from that in
Hong Kong. The Cantonese people refer to the new
migrants as Hakka meaning “guest families”. Over
time, the newcomers adopted the term "Hakka" to
refer to themselves since they tend to migrate as
part of their culture, and to their Hakka language.
Tension increased between the two groups over the
fertile lands and the Hakkas were forced to settle in
the outer fringes of the fertile lands or in more
mountainous regions. This eventually led to a series
of wars in the Pearl River Delta known as the Punti–
Hakka Clan Wars (土客械鬥) from 1854 to 1867. It
was estimated that a million people died in the
conflicts with many more fleeing for their lives.
Due to their agricultural lifestyle, Hakka people have
a unique architecture
based on defence and
communal living such
as a Hakka walled
village, and a hearty
savoury cuisine based
on an equal balance
between texturized
meat and vegetables,
and fresh vegetables.
Farming was mostly
done by Hakka women
while their menfolk
sought manual jobs in
the towns and cities.
The Hakka women did not bind their feet as was
commonly practised in other parts of China even
under the greatest social pressure during the Qing
dynasty. Such custom was not compatible with their
role in the family. They were known for their strong
personalities, independence and resilience in
sharing even the toughest of labour in the family.
They wear typical flat round hats woven with cane
fibre, and rimmed with a skirt of black cloth. A
round hole in the middle of the hat fits any head size.
The women are almost uniformly dressed in black
with scanty embroidery along the seam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punti%E2%80%
93Hakka_Clan_Wars
Known for working hard and their strong personalities, Hakka
women had never practised foot-binding.
Punti versus Hakka
By Sissi Wong