| dc.description.abstract | During the early years of Qing dynasty, more and more Chinese people immigrated to Taiwan-based Taoyuan area from the provinces Fujian and Guangtong in Mainland China. In Taiwan, the repeated fights with weapons between different local ethnic groups leaded to a distinctive settlement pattern - the majority of the residents in northern part of Taoyuan was Fujian immigrants, while the southern part, Hakka immigrants. The Christian missionary came to Taiwan after Tientsin Treaty was executed among the Qing dynasty and France. In 1872, the Canada-based Presbyterian Church dispatched Rev. George Leslie Mackey to Taiwan. Due to language barriers, missionary trainings were provided to a number of local Hakka followers, including Mrs. CHUNG, Ya-Mei (1865-1955), to facilitate the mission activities in the Hakka communities located in the northern part of Taiwan. Over a hundred years of development, the churches in Taoyuan-based Hakka communities had transformed the Hakka society, and the ethnic features in the churches were changed - the majority of the church members were no longer Hakka people, and the Hakka dialect was no longer the only communication media used in church services, so to encourage the participation of other different ethnic groups, and to strengthen the operations and growth of the churches.
This research found Rev. George Leslie Mackey established two local churches - one in Jhongli, and the other, in Longtan. Due to the split event occurred in the parent church in Canada, as well Kominka Movement during the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan, no additional churches were established in Taoyuan-based Hakka communities during the period. After the Second World War, thanks to the efforts of the Priest CHEN, Lan-chi (1914-2013), new local churches were established in township Hsinwu, Yangmei, Pusin and Kuanyin. Therefore, the churches further expanded their reaches and influences in Hakka communities. During 1970s, Mr. YO, Chih-Chuan and Mr. CHAN, Chih-Tang each on their initiatives established two churches, each at Neili and Chungyuang, respectively. In addition, a number of Hakka residents in Taoyuan changed their belief and became Christians due to the influences of rational and sentimental factors, after overcoming difficulties from the tradition of ancestor worship, as well as the objections from their relatives and friends. The successful residents passed their religious belief to their children through family worship. The local followers tended to step up further to the upper levels of society after becoming a member of priesthood, while the pure followers showed no such significant change due to the pressures to support their family financially. A number of families, including Mr. CHEN, Lan-Chi, Mrs. YO CHANG, Yin-Mei and Mr. TANG, Hsin-Lien, achieved admirable social status.
Keywords: The Presbyterian Church; Taoyuan-based Hakka Communities; Mission Activities in Local Hakka Communities; Evolution of Churches in Taiwan Local Hakka Communities
| en_US |