Even though I found my Hakka roots in China, Gold Mountain is my home. Popo entered this county with uncertainty and fear, but she prevailed so that I could prosper and succeed. As my journey tracing the Hakka diaspora returns to where it started, I wish that Popo were here to teach me how to cook and to answer my many questions. More than fifty years have passed since she lectured me about my Hakka identity. In the last seven years, I’ve interviewed over fifty Hakkas around the world. I saw common traits among a great majority of them, especially the women. Many reminded me of Popo. A steely streak of determination ran through their core. A practical, no-nonsense attitude pervaded any task they managed. They adapted and survived in any situation.
