As a result of sharp population increases at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Hakkas living in Guangdong Province relocated en masse to Sichuan, Guangxi, Chaonan, Guizhou, Hainan Island, and Taiwan to find better lives for themselves. Many who had relocated to Taiwan before the Qing military conquered Taiwan around the 22nd year of the Kangxi Reign (1683) were sent back to their original places of residence. Furthermore, the government adopted a suggestion by Shi Liang to strictly forbid emigration to Taiwan by people from Chaozhou and Huizhou (1684).

Hakkas from Meizhou, Dingzhou, and Zhangzhou looking for a better way of life continued to stream into Taiwan. They took their positions next to other ethnic groups to develop Taiwan.

     The Zhu Yigui Rebellion broke out in the 60th year of the Kangxi Reign (1721). The Hakkas residing in the area of Fengshan Mountain organized the Liudui Voluntary Army. It was very accomplished on the field of battle on the side of the Qing military as it quelled the insurrection. As a result, the restriction to emigrate to Taiwan was especially lifted and the Hakkas of Guangdong were permitted to relocate to Taiwan.

Residing in Taiwan

 

     The ancestors of Taiwan's Hakka population continued to flow into Taiwan. Far fewer Hakkas than Minnan Chinese immigrated to Taiwan leaving the Hakkas with no alternative but to develop infertile foothills and land at the foot of mountains. For the sake of their livelihoods, some Hakkas blended into Minnan society becoming known as Fujian Hakkas (). About 3 million of the 20 million people living in Taiwan speak Hakka and the majority of those live in farming villages. They are distributed in two main areas-in the North, they are concentrated in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli areas; in the South, they reside in the Kaohsiung and Pingtung areas. About 400,000 Hakkas live in the greater Taipei area. There are also many Hakkas living in Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung.