Hong Kong Museum of History II

'The Hakka people came originally from north of the Yellow River. A series of migrations brought them to the southern Chinese provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong. The Hakka began to settle in Hong Kong from 1684 onwards, but by this time, the fertile plains had already been occupied by the Punti, and the Hakka had to settle on poorer land in hilly areas. In the past, Hong Kong's Hakka people were predominantly farmers who were identified by their traditional clothing, a black or blue loose-fitting, pyjama-like set of work clothes known as 'shanfu' (literally 'shirt and trousers'), worn by men and women alike. Traditionally, Hakka women took care of daily household chores as well as worked in the field. When they were not framing, they made mud bricks, tailored clothing, dyed cloth and did handicraft work. Hakka home cooking is plain and simple, but Hakka sweet pastries prepared for festivities are rich in flavour.'