Embodied mobilities : Transnational houses in Qingtian

Since the 1980s, Qingtian County has forged transnational links with the European countries where its population has settled, with Spain and Italy being the main destinations. Transnational practices have led to socio-cultural changes that have materialised in the transformation of public spaces, lifestyles and consumption practices. The impact of migration is particularly visible in urban development and real estate construction. Based on ethnographic research, this article aims to analyse transnational links and mobility patterns as materialised in houses as architectural objects and spaces of social interaction. It analyses the different types of houses that migrants acquire and examines the intersection between symbolic and use values. The study of migrants' houses entails a reflection on the transnational concept of home.