Educational Strategies and the Quest for Chinese Legal, Social and Cultural Citizenship Among Chinese–Japanese Families in Shanghai

ABSTRACT This study documents an emerging Sinocentric educational strategy among Chinese–Japanese intermarried families in Shanghai. Based on fieldwork and interviews with five families, it examines how parents decide on nationality, schooling and cultural socialization for their children. Contrary to the prevailing assumption that Japanese social, cultural and legal citizenship confers greater transnational competencies and flexibility, these families intentionally secure their children's Chinese legal status, enrol them in local Chinese schools and cultivate deep Chinese linguistic and cultural proficiency. Parents view these choices, not Japanese citizenship or schooling, as more effective means of broadening educational and career trajectories and preserving flexible, future‐oriented opportunities. These practices reflect a deliberate strategy to manage geopolitical and economic uncertainty by anchoring children's experiences in China and treating Chinese legal, social and cultural citizenship as key resources for transnational competence and adaptability. In doing so, this study challenges the notion that flexible citizenship is primarily achieved through affiliation with developed countries such as Japan or Western countries.