‘Once you come, you are a Shenzhener’? Multifaceted and variegated sense of place among migrants in Shenzhen

Abstract

To what extent is contemporary Chinese urbanism cohesive and integrative? This study delves into the multifaceted and variegated nature of sense of place among internal migrants in Chinese cities, with a focus on Shenzhen, a city at the forefront of policy experimentation and a quintessential immigrant city. The findings reveal different levels of sense of belonging/attachment, local identity and sense of home among natives, hukou migrants and non-hukou migrants. The sense of belonging/attachment is mainly influenced by the relational factor, while local identity is predominantly determined by the legal factor, and sense of home is primarily influenced by the economic factor. Meanwhile, hukou migrants place greater importance on the relational factor, while non-hukou migrants emphasise the economic factor. Furthermore, the research identifies five types of sense of place among migrants based on different configurations of belonging/attachment, local identity and sense of home. This study sheds light on the complexity of sense of place and the nuances of belonging, attachment, identity and home in contemporary Chinese urbanism.