Displacement, emplacement and the lifestyles of Chinese ‘snowbirds’ and local residents in tropical Sanya

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the lifestyle migration of Houniao (‘snowbirds’), who are mostly retirees from north China. Drawing on the case of Sanya, a tropical city, it explores the emplacement of the Houniao and the displacement of local elders, and interrogates how everyday practices and contested meanings assigned to lifestyles are embedded into the reconstruction of their linkages with place. The Houniao enjoy privileged status and their mobile life is considered progressive and modern. They experience alienation in Sanya due to cultural differences and their disinterest in integration, but facilitate their emplacement through the reproduction of familiar sociocultural networks at the beach during everyday leisure routines. In contrast, the traditional life of local residents is deemed passive and outdated by the Houniao and the local government. Local elders constitute a minority in seaside recreation and, despite their host identity, constantly feel a sense of displacement. This paper contributes to understanding lifestyle migration by unpacking lifestyle practices and their relationship to place, something which has not been fully examined in extant studies. Its focus on the Chinese Houniao also enriches the analysis of the multiplicity of lifestyle migration and internal Chinese migration.

RÉSUMÉ

Cet article examine le mode de vie de migration des Houniao (« oiseaux migrateurs »), qui sont principalement des retraités venus de Chine du nord. En s’appuyant sur le cas de Sanya, une ville tropicale, il explore l’emplacement des Houniao et le déplacement des personnes âgées riveraines et il cherche à savoir comment les pratiques quotidiennes et les significations contestées dévolues aux modes de vie sont imbriquées dans la reconstruction des liens avec le lieu. Les Houniao jouissent d’un statut privilégié et leur vie mobile est considérée comme progressive et moderne. Ils font l’expérience de l’aliénation à Sanya à cause des différences culturelles et de leur désintérêt pour l’intégration mais facilitent leur emplacement au moyen de la reproduction de réseaux socio-culturels familiers à la plage pendant leurs routines de loisirs quotidiens. En contraste, la vie traditionnelle des riverains est considérée comme passive et démodée par les Houniao et le gouvernement local. Les personnes âgées riveraines constituent une minorité de la récréation du bord de mer et malgré l’identité de leur hôte, ils ressentent constamment un sentiment de déplacement. Cet article contribue à la compréhension de la migration du mode de vie en déballant les pratiques du mode de vie et leur rapport au lieu, chose qui n’a pas été complètement examinée dans les recherches existantes. L’intérêt porté aux Houniao chinois enrichit aussi l’analyse de la multiplicité dans la migration du mode de vie et de la migration interne en Chine.

RESUMEN

Este documento examina la migración del estilo de vida de los Houniao (‘personas que viajan de un lugar frío a uno cálido’), que en su mayoría son jubilados del norte de China. Basándose en el caso de Sanya, una ciudad tropical, el trabajo explora el asentamiento de los Houniao y el desplazamiento de los ancianos locales, e interroga sobre cómo las prácticas cotidianas y los cuestionados significados asignados a los estilos de vida están integrados en la reconstrucción de sus vínculos con el lugar. Los Houniao disfrutan de un estatus privilegiado y su vida móvil se considera progresiva y moderna. Experimentan la alienación en Sanya debido a las diferencias culturales y su desinterés por la integración, pero facilitan su asentamiento a través de la reproducción de redes socioculturales familiares en la playa durante las rutinas diarias de ocio. En contraste, la vida tradicional de los residentes locales es considerada pasiva y obsoleta por los Houniao y el gobierno local. Los ancianos locales constituyen una minoría en la recreación costera y, a pesar de su identidad como anfitriones, sienten constantemente que son desplazados. Este documento contribuye a la comprensión de la migración del estilo de vida mediante el análisis de prácticas de estilo de vida y su relación con el lugar, algo que no ha sido completamente examinado en estudios existentes. Su enfoque en los Houniao chinos también enriquece el análisis de la multiplicidad de migración de estilo de vida y la migración interna en China.

KEYWORDS:

• Lifestyle migration
• sense of place
• place identities
• leisure
• everyday life
• China

MOTS CLÉS:

• migration du mode de vie
• sens du lieu
• identités du lieu
• loisirs
• vie quotidienne
• Chine

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• migración de estilo de vida
• sentido de lugar
• identidades de lugar
• ocio
• vida cotidiana
• China

Acknowledgements

I want to sincerely thank T.C. Chang, Tim Bunnell, Pow Choon Piew, Tracey Skelton, Jinwen Chen and other members of the Social and Cultural Research Group at the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, for making valuable comments on the early draft. I would also like to express my thanks to Editor Robert Wilton and three reviewees for their insightful suggestions in revising this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. In this paper, local elders refer to people who are born and grow old in Sanya.

2. Taichi is a traditional Chinese martial art and widely practised by ordinary people for health benefits. It is especially popular among middle-aged and elderly people in China.

3. All informants mentioned in this paper are anonymised.

4. Northern migrants in Sanya come from the mainland. Unlike the Houniao, they have relocated to Sanya and do not regularly return their place of origin. Many elderly and female northern migrants are also faithful public leisure seekers.

5. The ideas of modern, active and healthy lifestyles are often propagandised through state-owned media and annual government reports. According to my field survey, the government has specific funding for the promotion of public leisure. For example, it undertook the first systematic survey of collective leisure groups in Sanya in 2009, and provided each group with a one-off assistance subsidy of US$3000, exercise suits, a pair of speakers and other equipment.

6. Unlike the elderly, most local middle-aged and young people need to work in the daytime, and prefer other leisure spaces, such as tea houses and bars, to Sanya Bay. Many of them go to the coastal areas in the evening to take a stroll or become bystanders of public exercises and dance.

7. It is worth noting that not all ‘snowbirds’ are active beach recreationists. Many who buy private apartments have exclusive leisure centres in gated communities, in which they can exercise and play card games and mahjong. However, few confine their daily routines to their neighbourhoods. Especially for those reside in the coastal areas, it is quite common for them to come to the beach in a day and undertake some leisure activities, such as taking a stroll, exercising and chitchatting.

8. Generally speaking, the Houniao have higher socio-economic status than local elders in Sanya. The former has relatively good education and big savings, while the latter is mostly illiterate and economically depends on their adult children.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 41630635].