Home > Worries about the Revival of Raoping Hakka >Challenges and Visions
Department of Education of Changhua County
Puxin Township of Changhua County
Meidu Qiu, the Biggest Promoter of Raoping Hakka's
Interview with Mr. Chengyu Chang, Chief of Puxin Township in Changhua County
In a Saturday morning in October, Mrs. Qiu came to Renli community center in Puxin Township. She had been teaching the life learning class “Know Hakka, Speak Raoping” for a straight month on every Saturday morning. Seniors with grey hair sat in rows, and for the first time they started to speak their ancestors’ language---Raoping Hakka, with reading glasses. They spoke location names of the old settlements, surnames, chapel names and stories of the environments...it was very touching.
How Mr. Chang Sees Mrs. Qiu Taught Herself Raoping Hakka and Teaches It to Others

Mr. Chang and the corps took Mrs. Qiu’s teaching materials and started to read the seniors’ names in Raoping Hakka. Then, they exchanged essential Hakka words for everyday life, such as “handsome,” “pretty,” “mother,” “grandpa,” “Earth God,” and “Earth Goddess,” etc. With Mrs. Qiu’s phonetic marks in Zhuyin and Pinyin, Mr. Chang soon spoke Raoping Hakka! So, Mrs. Qiu’s teaching materials were indeed the Bible for self-learning Hakka. Also, it was impressive that Mr. Chang could speak Raoping Hakka without any assistance, just by reading the materials.
Mr. Chang Invited Mrs. Qiu and the Junior Corps to Perform in Puxin

Set Up More Teaching Centers and Promote Raoping Hakka Language

In the near futre, Mr. Chang would set up more Hakka teaching centers in Puxin communities to revive Raoping Hakka, continue the study of Hakka and compile the findings as teaching materials for the local, start with kids in kindergarten, and finally turn Puxin Township into a place full of Hakka friendliness. The junior corps was already looking forward to the events and activities that Mr. Chang would hold.
After the interview, junior corps stayed and listened to Mrs. Qiu. She talked about the residence history of Puxin and let the corps read Raoping Hakka. Besides that, she also let the six corps members with their parents read Hakka for the folks and teach the seniors to speak Raoping Hakka. It was a great experience to be Mrs. Qiu and teaching! Thank you Mrs. Qiu for teaching everyone Raoping Hakka with great patience, and giving the corps the chance to do something for the community, joining the team to reviving Changhua Raoping Hakka. All these are something that cannot be learned from the textbook.