Homesick Nation Development, Migration and Yearning in Rural China Qian Hardback

Homesick NationDevelopment, Migration and Yearning in Rural China\nAuthor(s): Linda Qian\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9781009682527, 978-1009682527\nSynopsis\nThis innovative study introduces the concept of xiangchou homesickness and rural nostalgia to English-language scholarship, using it as a lens through which to explore rural development in contemporary China. Using hometown ethnography, Linda Qian takes a village in Zhejiang province as her primary case study to demonstrate the emotional, social and political forces shaping rural return migration and development policies. Through personal narratives and state-led initiatives, she reveals how xiangchou functions as both a 'structure of feeling' and a tool of affective governance. By intertwining lived experiences with broader social and political contexts, this study highlights the overlapping desires projected onto the countryside and u.