The Zheng Communities and the Formation of a Transnational Lineage

Abstract

AbstractTransnational business networks and entrepreneurship should not be regarded as the only major theme of Chinese contemporary transnationalism. The transnationalization of traditional social and cultural institutions and the social practices engaged in by agencies facilitated by the networks deserve our attention as well. By narrating the case of a transnational lineage, this article describes how the lineage was constructed historically in a broader structure of relations across borders, how the major concern of the lineage has been revived since the liberalization in China, and how these social and cultural practices are revealing a dynamic process of identity-making of people who are involved in the transnational space.