Greener grass or the mirage of belonging: How Chinese traditional norms impact the identity and (re)acculturation of Chinese international students

This qualitative study explores how traditional sociocultural norms influence the transnational mobility, identity trajectories, and (re)acculturation experiences of Chinese international students with a pro-host-nation cultural identity. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 14 Chinese international student returnees, this research examines the complex interplay between Confucian values, pragmatism, and contemporary individualization in shaping participants’ motivations for studying overseas, acculturation strategies and identity trajectories abroad, decisions to return, and reacculturation challenges. Findings reveal that while traditional hierarchical and pragmatic values may prompt cultural alienation and the pursuit of autonomy abroad, these same norms also shape return motivations and reacculturation difficulties.

The study highlights the need for more nuanced, multi-dimensional models of (re)acculturation. Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Taipa Macau SAR, China Institute of Higher Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China Capital Engineering Education Development Research Base, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China School of Education, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China School of Education and Continuing Education, West Anhui University, Lu’an, China Law School, Guangxi University, Nanning, China China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China The authors declare no competing interests. The study involving human participants was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of China University of Political Science and Law on November 1, 2024.

As the committee does not issue formal approval numbers, the internal project code “CUPL20241101” is provided as the reference for this protocol, and relevant interview procedures were in line with the requirements of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all 14 participants by the research team via email prior to their scheduled interviews. The consent process began on May 29, 2025, and was completed for each participant before their interview took place.

The informed consent document provided full details on the study’s purpose, the voluntary nature of participation, and the interview procedures. The scope of the consent covered participation in an audio-recorded interview and the subsequent use of anonymized data and direct quotations in academic publications. Participants were explicitly informed that their anonymity would be protected through the use of pseudonyms.

They were also made aware of the potential for emotional discomfort when discussing sensitive topics and were provided with a list of mental health resources as a supportive measure. Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.

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