Documentary images and religious communication: the ritual transmission and functional imagination of Tua Pek Kong worship of Hakka people in Southeast Asia

Hakka is one important branch of the Han nationality in China. “Bo Gong” is a type of common local deity in traditional Hakka society. Along with the overseas migration of the Hakka people during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Bo Gong worship also spread to Southeast Asia. The picture of the lives of overseas Hakka communities is not only conveyed in words but also reflected in video texts. This study shows that the folkloric imagery of Tua Pek Kong is a vital cultural symbol in the video images of the Hakka people in Southeast Asia through video recordings. Although the origins of the worship of Tua Pek Kong vary from country to country in Southeast Asia, a complete system of worship in it has been constructed by the Hakka people in the practice of worship in daily life. In the process of connecting individuals, ethnic groups, and communities, “Tua Pek Kong” has become a common cultural symbol of the Hakka Chinese community in Southeast Asia.