The actions of the yimin militia must be viewed in their proper historical context, however. After immigration from Guangdong was prohibited, Hakkas gradually became a disadvantaged minority in Taiwan, far outnumbered by Fujianese from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. They had no choice but to band together to defend their homes and communities against larger ethnic rivals.
放回歷史框架來看，渡台禁令之後，客家人逐漸成為少數，在漳、泉環繞之下，需要更大的凝聚力與強而有力的依靠以捍衛家園。