Memorial Altar for the Southern Migration of the Hakka People

　　The Memorial Altar for the Southern Migration of the Hakka People is situated in Guijiaowei Park. It is composed of a base and a bronze tripod. The base is modeled after the architectural form of Beijing’s Temple of Earth, symbolizing that the roots of the Hakka people lie in the Central Plains. It also reflects the Hakka people's agrarian heritage. The base is divided into three tiers, representing the three stages in the formation of the Hakka ethnic group: its emergence in southern Jiangxi, development in western Fujian, and maturation in eastern Guangdong. The steps of the base are arranged in five levels, signifying the five major migrations in the history of the Hakka people. Atop the base stands a towering 5-meter-high three-legged bronze tripod, symbolizing how the Hakka people, after undergoing five major migrations and completing three developmental stages, established themselves as a mature cultural group on the land shared by the neighboring provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi. Placing the bronze tripod on the memorial altar carries several meanings: firstly, it represents the act of establishing a symbolic “ding” (an ancient ceremonial vessel denoting stability and legitimacy); secondly, the tripod’s three legs signify that the Hakka people’s homeland is rooted in the tri-province region of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi; thirdly, as the tripod was an important ritual object in ancient times used for offerings, it has the practical function of holding incense or candles, while also allowing commemorative inscriptions to be cast onto its body. The memorial altar is divided into three sides at 120-degree angles, with each side representing southern Jiangxi, western Fujian, and eastern Guangdong respectively—highlighting that these three regions have made equally significant contributions to Hakka culture throughout history, continue to rely on one another in today’s Hakka society, and are expected to achieve common development and prosperity in the future. The corresponding three sets of steps on the altar symbolize the three life-giving rivers of the Hakka settlements: the Gan River, the Ting River, and the Mei River. The inscription on the memorial tripod was composed by Mr. Tan Yunheng, Director of the Hakka Research Institute at South China University of Technology. Written in the style of a historical epitaph, the text is divided into two main sections: chronicle and eulogy. The inscription explains the reasons, time, location, and significance of casting the tripod, documents the history of Hakka development, and praises the outstanding traditional culture of the Hakka people. It is a masterful piece of writing with profound meaning and elegant language. Ganxian Hakka Cultural City: Located southeast of Ganxian County’s urban area, the Hakka Cultural City lies to the south of the meandering Gong River, faces Yangxian Ridge—the former hermitage of Yang Jiu-pin, the patriarch of feng shui—and overlooks the renowned peak of southern Jiangxi, Fengshan Mountain. With mountains, water, and the city complementing one another, it is a feng shui treasure blessed by the vitality of nature.