The role of Yum Cha (Cantonese morning tea) in the integration process among interprovincial migration in China

Abstract

China’s recent interprovincial migrants are the result of the institutional reform of its hukou system. This research analyses one of the interprovincial migrants’ leisure activities, yum cha, to explore the meaning of leisure for their adaptation and integration to the receiving society. This research aims at two key questions: what access interprovincial migrants obtain from yum cha to social contact and how migrants conceive of this leisure experience. The main findings are based on semi-structural interviews conducted in several restaurants in Guangzhou city. The interpretations of interprovincial migrants’ leisure experience in urban China are concluded into four themes: learning the local dialect and customs; building and maintaining a social group; the reconstruction of individual identity; and the development of a sense of belonging.

Keywords:

• interprovincial migrant
• leisure
• integration
• yum cha
• China