Constructing and performing Jia in short study abroad: a case study of Chinese minor students in homestays

Homestay arrangements are integral to short-term transnational study tours, yet the construction and performance of Jia (home) centered on minor participants remain critically underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining the homestay experiences of Chinese middle school students in California, USA. Drawing on qualitative data, this paper analyses the homestay as a multi-dimensional, negotiated field. Findings reveal that: (1) The material Jia is pre-constructed by the commercial logic of intermediaries and the remote risk management of parents, and is subsequently co-constructed through on-site interactions between hosts and students. (2) The emotional Jia is remade through reciprocal interactions with hosts and tour leaders, yet is simultaneously shaped by the virtual co-presence of parents, whose digital support provides a crucial, transnational emotional safety net. (3) The cultural Jia functions as a site for the collision, negotiation, and fusion of ‘home’ concepts, extending beyond the physical dwelling to the community and enabling students to form multi-scalar cultural meanings of Jia. This study contributes a multi-participant perspective on the commercial home, revealing it as a complex field negotiated by both present and remote actors. These findings hold practical implications for study tour agencies.