Building a sense of home in a foreign land

This concluding chapter positions the discussion of Chinese migrants ageing in Australia in the international context to draw implications for theory and practice. The empirical data from older Chinese migrants presented in previous chapters illustrate that home for migrants is not just a physical place but, more importantly, embodies a set of family and social relationships extending into migrants’ local communities in Australia and in their homeland. It is through navigating those webs of relationships within and beyond geographical borders that older Chinese migrants build their home in a foreign land, both physically and symbolically. Our research findings contribute to theories by challenging the conventional notion of integration and biculturalism and by bringing in a transnational perspective to environmental gerontology. Moreover, the chapter draws implication for practice regarding social and cultural support for older migrants ageing in a foreign land. The chapter concludes by identifying some directions for further research to delve into the dynamic ways in which older migrants engage in building a sense of home beyond locality and culture.