HOKLO – 福佬人

Location of the Island of Taiwan in East Asia
( ontheworldmap.com )

Island of Taiwan & Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu Islands.
Also shown are:
Green Island (Lu Dao) & Orchid Island (Lan Yu).
( cia.gov )

Administrative Divisions of Taiwan
( nouahsark.com )

Traditional geographical distribution of Highland Peoples.
Alternate spellings or names:
Taroko (Truku, Seediq); Yami (Tao)
( wikipedia . org )

Satellite image of Taiwan showing the central mountains. Compare this image with the map (above) to appreciate the geographic distribution of the Highland Peoples.
( geology . com )

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THE HOKLO PEOPLE – 福佬人

  • The Hoklo (福佬人) people are the largest ethnic group on the Island of Taiwan. They are also referred to as: “Holo” and “Minnan” people. Their primary language is “Taiwanese Hokkien” which is a Southern Min language. The Hoklo People comprise approximately 65–70% of the population of the Island of Taiwan.

  • The ancestral origins of the Hoklo People are mainly in Fujian Province in southeastern China, especially the areas around the cities of Quanzhou & Zhangzhou. Large-scale Hoklo migration to Taiwan began in the 17th century, particularly during: (i.) the Dutch Colonial Period (1624–1662); and (ii.) the era of Zheng Chenggong (also known as “Koxinga”) during the Qing Dynasty. Most migrants were farmers, fishermen & traders seeking land and opportunity. Over time, they have became deeply rooted on the Island of Taiwan, and have developed a distinct Taiwanese identity separate from mainland China.

  • The Hoklo People have played a major role in shaping: (i.) local customs in communities across the Island of Taiwan; (ii.) cuisine, such as oyster omelets, rice dishes & the manner in which seafood is prepared; (iii.) politics, including grass roots movements encouraging localization & democratization across the Island of Taiwan; and (iv.) the development of a distinct Taiwanese national consciousness. While standard Mandarin is now the official language of Taiwan, Taiwanese Hokkien remains a key symbol of local identity, especially in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung Counties of southern Taiwan.

  • Taiwanese Hokkien is one of Taiwan’s most widely-spoken languages. It differs noticeably from the modern dialect of Fujian Hokkien due to centuries of local development & influence from indigenous languages; from Japanese during the occupation of Taiwan in the 19th century; and from standard spoken Mandarin language. Today, spoken Hokkien language is used widely in: (i.) daily conversation; (ii.) Traditional Chinese Opera; (iii.) folk religion; (iv.) popular music; and (v.) media.

  • Language rights advocates & groups supporting “Taiwanization” have issued calls for the government of the Republic of China on the Island of Taiwan to change its linguistic designation of “Hoklo” (commonly known as “Taiwanese”) from “Minnanyu” (閩南語, a Southern Min language) to “Taiyu” (台語). The word “Minnan” is said to have overtones of racial discrimination; and in the past, the authoritarian government of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) used “unlawful” means when designating “Minnanyu” as the “official name” for “Taiyu”. The written Chinese character for “Min” (閩) is composed of the radical for “door” & the component for” “insects” (虫) or “beast”, which in ancient times referred to snakes. The use of “Minna” by northern Chinese has historically had undertones of racial discrimination when referring to the people of the Fujian or Minnan region. Some textbooks apparently describe the term “Min” to mean “snake people” or “persons crawling on the ground”. Therefore “Minnan” when applied to speakers of the Hokkien language, conjures up recollections of Han Chinese in the past referring to Taiwan’s indigenous people as “fan” (番, ‘uncivilized, or barbarians’) who spoke “fan languages”. Language-rights groups assert that the government’s continued use of the term “Minnan” violates people’s right to language equality & contravenes the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (the UN’s covenants on protecting civil, political & cultural rights), and the 2019 law passed in Taiwan: “Development of National Languages Act” (國家語言發展法).

  • Notably, Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), the cofounder & Chief Executive Officer of NVIDIA, who was born in Tainan, spoke in Hoklo during a recent visit to Taiwan and he further referred to the language as “Taiyu”.

  • The culture & society of The Hoklo People place strong emphasis on family, ancestry & community. Clan associations & ancestral halls are common in Hokkien communities. Lineage-based village organization has historically shaped rural life. Spiritual life among the Hoklo People blends Daoism with Buddhism & Chinese folk beliefs. Those deities who are woshipped in local temples include: (i) Mazu (Goddess of the Sea); (ii) Guanyin; (iii) Wang Ye (Plague Deities); and (iv) Local earth gods (“Tudigong”). Temple festivals, such as the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, are central to Hoklo cultural life. Early Hoklo settlers interacted extensively with Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples through: (i.) trade; (ii.) intermarriage; (iii.) land agreements; and (iv.) sometimes conflict). As a result, many modern Hoklo families have partial Indigenous ancestry. Elements of indigenous culture have also influenced Hoklo culture in the society from the earliest times of Hoklo migtration to the Island of Taiwan.

  • EASY SEARCH FOR MORE LINKS ! . . . . .

  • scholar.google.com – The Language of the Hoklo People – 福佬人族的語言 @ Google Scholar
  • youtube.com – The Language of the Hoklo People – 福佬人族的語言 @ You Tube . com
  • images.google.com – The Language of the Hoklo People – 福佬人族的語言 @ Google Images

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LATEST PAGE UPDATE: January 15 , 2026 .
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