Throughout China’s long history, poets, writers and literati alike have written numerous essays and poems lamenting the emotional agony experienced as a result of the physical separation of the lonely wanderer ‘游子’from their homeland‘家乡’. The very concept of home, ‘jia’ 家is deep rooted in Chinese cultural’ s understanding of one’s sense of belonging and relations to those around them. ‘Jiaxiang’ 家乡 (hometown), the collective entity consists of various families living in one geographical location, contains the basic recognition of one’s identity and reflects the embryonic understanding of one’s relationship to the wider society. Within this cultural framework, analysing the key anchors of belonging and understanding of ‘home’ at both individual and societal levels helps to reveal people’s senses of obligation and responsibility to that particular place and its people. Consequently, the project has the potential to facilitate grassroots activities that would bring benefits to the local communities, forging links and building partnerships that improve the lived experience of the people and create social cohesion in the city.
