Abstract
Leisure innovation theory holds that taking up new leisure activities by older people may facilitate healthy aging. To examine this theory in an urban Asian context, I conducted a case study of older adults in Guangzhou, China. I undertook in-depth interviews with 27 adults aged 50–80 years; I analyzed the data with open, axial, and selective coding using NVivo 8.0. I obtained the following findings. First, the participants practiced four main types of leisure activities: cultural and physical activities; digital leisure; artistic creation; and intellectual games. Second, those activities led to positive outcomes with respect to health, self-development, place identity, and social interaction. Finally, the main factors influencing leisure innovation comprised internal factors (values of life and leisure) and external factors (availability of time, money, institution, and space; institution and space were the most important).