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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Hakka settlement in the middle ground

Figure 9. Distribution of periodic and permanent markets. Source: Drawing by the authors

most villagers still view the old village as their spiritual A B
home and ancestral root:
We cannot forget our ancestors, who are our roots.
Even though we no longer live in the old village, we
continue to hold traditional rituals in the ancestral
hall on important occasions such as weddings,
funerals, baby’s one-month celebrations, and
traditional festivals like Qingming, Mid-Autumn
Festival, and Chinese New Year. However, the Figure 10. Photo of periodic markets. (A) Periodic Market in Dahu
Town. (B) Periodic Market in Zhongxin Town. Source: Photos by the
younger generation does not seem to care about authors (2021)
these anymore. (interview with He Zhipei in He
Xin Wu, June 2021)
By continuing these rituals, the local villagers maintain
a sense of identity and coherence. The ancestor hall has
become a symbolic and physical space where Hakka
cultural practices are enacted, reinforcing its importance
as a communal hub. However, there is a noticeable tension
between the displacement caused by modernization
(moving away from the old village) and the older
generation’s desire for cultural continuity. Despite the
younger generation’s lack of interest, these old villages
continue to function as communal spaces where villagers
gather after dinner and children play.
With the development of the G358 National Highway,
villages along the road, such as He Xin Wu and Cha Hu Er, Figure 11. The spatial configuration in the Middle Ground of the
are transforming into new linear settlements (Figure 11) peripheral Pearl River Delta. Source: Drawing by the authors
and becoming part of the highway economy (Wang &
Xu, 2012). These narrow settlements stretch along the is frequently used for commercial purposes, catering
highways, connecting previously independent nucleated to passing vehicles and drivers by operating family-run
clusters. Typically, a single row of houses flanks each side of restaurants or providing truck maintenance and washing
the road, allowing villagers direct access to their farmland services. This new settlement type, as a by-product of
behind these buildings. The ground floor of these houses urbanization and industrialization, is challenging the

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3649