Since mid-nineteenth century, many residents from coastal provinces in China have moved to Hong Kong, with pursuits to escape from war or famine. There were mainly four ethnic groups that settled in Hong Kong prior to the arrival of the British: the Punti, the Tanka people or Boat Dweller , the Hakka and the Hoklo.

1. The Punti

The Punti is a Cantonese term, referring to the “original resident” who mainly came from Guangdong province in southern China. They are contrasted with the Hakka, another Han Chinese linguistic group, who settled in Hong Kong after the Punti peoples. “The Great Five Clans — the Hau, Tang ,Pang, Liu, and Man — were among the earliest recorded familial settlers of Hong Kong.”  Although there was a light development of agriculture since they arrived in Hong Kong, the area was still relatively barren and the Punti mainly relied on salt, pearl and fishery trades. Nowadays, the Punti has become a commonly used term in Hong Kong authorities, especially in law courts.

2.The Tanka people(or the Boat Dwellers)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O0k8uLPV3A

The Tanka people, whose origins can be traced back to the native ethnic minorities of southern China, usually took refuge on the sea and gradually assimilated into Han culture. However, Tanka have preserved their own traditions that are quiet different from Han Chinese culture. Nowadays, these boat dwellers are referred to “on-water people” in China. Actually, there is no standardized English translation of this term. Until 1999, Dr. Lee of The University of Hong Kong proposed the term “Boat Dwellers” and it has been adopted by the Hong Kong Museum of History for its permanent exhibition. Historically, the Tanka in Hong Kong were considered “outcasts”. The book below is quite famous and it provides a vivid picture of the current situation of the Tanka people.   

3.The Hakka

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaRVsvUP2FDtDooFGppu5qBSZURPyjruu

The Hakka people is also considered to have a close link with the coastal provinces in China, such as Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian and so on. Although the majority of the Hakka lived in Guangdong, they had a completely different traditions and identities from Cantonese people. It is said that Hakka communities have arrived in the Hong Kong after the rescinding of the coastal evacuation order in 1688. The traditional occupations of Hakka families is farming and cultivation. Traditionally, Hakka women focus on the farming while men sought labouring jobs in the cities or even abroad, so the rural Hakka population began to decline rapidly from the end of 19th century, as well as the agriculture. Today, we still can see some Hakka villages around Hong Kong and many of their inhabitants have moved to the post war new towns like Sheung Shui, Tai Po, Sha Tin and further afield.

4.The Hoklos (or Fuklos)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XbcokuFVVU

 The Hoklo people are Han Chinese people, whose origines can be tranced back to the  southern Fujian of South China. People usually call then Min-nan people  or Hokkien Lang. Although Hoklo is one of the four major ethnic groups of Hongkong in the early years, there is less written records saved because of the relatively low cultural level. As showed below, rowing dragon boat on the land is a traditional wedding ceremony.