Formerly the Toronto Hakka Conference in winter 2000 and 2004, Roundhouse Reunion 2008 will be held this month at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, Scarborough. Hakka roundhouses are under consideration to be designated World Heritage Sites by the United Nations. Dating back up to 1,000 years, roundhouses sheltered dozens of multi-generational families in hundreds of rooms. Like a mini-village, the massive earthen dwelling would offer protection, communal space for celebrations, and self-sufficiency in food and water.
Roundhouse Reunion 2008 will be a conference and festival where people
- Gather to learn, share, meet, and celebrate Hakka history, culture, and traditions.
- Choose from dozens of presentations, workshops, exhibits, and activities with a Canadian and international cast.
- Come hear Dr. Siu Leung Lee talk about what it means to be Hakka. See him demonstrate different styles and techniques of calligraphy as a discipline and a revelation of the mind. And travel with him on his journey to prove that world explorer Zheng He of China arrived in America some 70 years before Christopher Columbus of Spain.
- Celebrate Hakka heroes in Chinese history with Professor Richard Bohr, a most popular speaker from 2000 and 2004 returning to us with more stories.
- Discover how food defines the Hakka spirit and ingenuity with Professor Shiu Loon Kong.
- Tour the incredible Hakka houses of our ancestors with Dr. Keith Lowe.
- Sample contemporary Hakka literature with Professor Pietro Giordan.
- Enjoy excerpts from Reading Mr. Chin and the stories of first-born sons sent back to China, with Assistant Professor Anne-Marie Lee-Loy.
- Relive the formation of the Hakka people through centuries of migration from the north to the south with Patrick Chen. Where did we come from, and where did we end up?
- Examine the adaptation of the Chinese community in the Caribbean with Aaron Bohr (Jamaica), Keith Lowe (Trinidad), and other presenters.
- Compare the stories of the Hakka in the Caribbean, India, Mauritius, Malaysia, and other countries with your family’s story where you come from.
- See those stories come alive in the Global Village Photo Exhibit.
- Look inside our own Hakka communities in Toronto with poet, author, and editor, Henrietta Akit, as she shares her perspective.
- Learn basic Hakka phrases and compare Hakka dialects between different countries and with Cantonese and Mandarin.
- Marvel at the Hakka population throughout the world on a world map.
- Mark your own ancestral village or district on a map of China.
- Enjoy folk and classical music by Chinese musicians live during the festival.
- Admire the culinary talent of Hakka chefs at live cooking demonstrations. Take away the recipes.
www.roundhousereunion2008.com
Visit soon for details, advance event tickets, and gift tickets for family and friends.