The Concept of Leisure among Chinese Older Adults: A Graphic-Elicited Approach

Abstract

This study sought to explore what leisure means to some Chinese older adults using Chinese painting as a means of facilitating data collection. Thirty volunteer Chinese older adults were invited to participate in graphic-elicited interviews using Chinese paintings. The paintings presented or alluded to leisure through representations of connection to nature, social relationships, social prosperity, personal auspiciousness, and personal morality. The findings revealed that the participants commonly interpreted leisure as “harmony”—specifically mind-body harmony, social harmony, and harmony between nature and humanity. This is the first attempt to use Chinese paintings as research materials in leisure perception studies, and it contributes to the sound development of older adults’ conceptualizations of leisure in the Chinese context.