From "Emotional Devotion" to "Value Co-creation": The Reconfiguration and Intergenerational Metamorphosis of Investment Logic among the New Generation of Teochew Diaspora

Abstract

As a key link connecting China and the world, the Teochew diaspora is experiencing a profound intergenerational metamorphosis in its investment behavior. The "feedback-style" investment logic of the older generation, centered on "emotional devotion," is increasingly incompatible with the globalized vision and professional background of the new generation (born after the 1980s). This article, based on generational theory and cultural economics, constructs a theoretical framework from "emotional devotion" to "value co-creation" by qualitatively analyzing investment motives, models, and objectives. It aims to parse the deep reconfiguration of the investment logic of the new generation of Teochew diaspora. The study finds: The older generation's "emotional devotion" logic is rooted in nostalgic memory and geo-kinship ties, manifesting as unidirectional value feedback through "public welfare donations" and "asset repatriation." In contrast, the new generation's "value co-creation" logic is a new paradigm that embeds cultural identity into market rationality. Its core features include: viewing homeland culture as developable "symbolic capital"; treating investment behavior as a "career linkage" that integrates professional advantages with homeland resources; and shifting investment goals from "identity confirmation" to "value realization" and "cultural leadership." This metamorphosis is driven by the combined forces of hybrid identity construction, digital technology empowerment, and a spirit of professionalism in a global context. This article argues that the development model of Qiaoxiang (hometowns of overseas Chinese) must transcend the traditional "nostalgia economy" and move towards building a "value co-creation ecosystem" centered on "cultural IP incubation" and "institutional trust" to activate the developmental momentum of the new diaspora generation.