Abstract
This study examines the phenomenon of multi-sited consumption within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and investigates the interplay of national policies, individual consumer behaviours, and the evolving urban landscape in this region by proposing the analytical concepts of multi-sited consumption and urban cluster amenities. Drawing on qualitative interviews and secondary data, this research finds that macro-level efforts, such as regional economic integration, improved infrastructure, and streamlined border controls, increase cross-border mobilities which facilitate multi-sited consumption. Moreover, driven by the desires for cost-effectiveness, scarcity, and uniqueness, GBA residents increasingly engage in multi-sited consumption. Lastly, we find that the interactions between macro-level strategies and aggregated micro-level consumer behaviours have led to meso-level transformations, such as the redistribution and specialisation of urban cluster amenities across the GBA. These findings offer insights into the recent and ongoing shifting urban hierarchies in the GBA and highlight the broader implications of multi-sited consumption for regional economic integration.
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Excerpt
Full text document will be published online on December 2025.
Outline
Introduction
Literature review
Urban cluster amenities: A holistic approach to regional development
The role of amenities in shaping mobility in urban clusters
Cross-border consumption and economic integration
The motivating factors behind multi-sited consumption in the Greater Bay Area
The analytical framework for multi-sited consumption in the Greater Bay Area
Research methods and data analysis
Findings
The macro-level institutional building of GBA urban cluster amenities
The multi-sited consumption of micro-level individuals in the Greater Bay Area
Multi-sited consumption of cost-effective amenities
Multi-sited consumption of unique amenities
Multi-sited consumption of scarce amenities
Reconfiguring meso-level urban amenities in the Greater Bay Area: The role of multi-sited consumption in recent transformation
The decline and downgrade of urban amenities in Hong Kong and Macao
The growth and redistribution of urban amenities in the Mainland GBA
Conclusion
First lines
Introduction
Cross-border consumption is not new in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Previously, it was common for Mainland people to shop in Hong Kong and Macao, buying everything from luxury items to essentials such as baby formula, a trend that sparked controversy as Hong Kong residents raised concerns over shortages caused by Mainland shoppers (Bergstresser 2022). In recent years, cross-border consumption has evolved into a two-way exchange, with more Hongkongers “heading north” to Shenzhen and beyond for shopping, leisure, and services, attracting considerable attention. As the Greater Bay Area – recently coined to foster deeper economic integration and cultural exchange between Hong Kong, Macao, and major cities in Guangdong – is positioned as an integrated consumer market, cross-border consumption has become a symbol of the GBA’s vision to blend markets, lifestyles, and services across borders in unprecedented ways.
The development of infrastructure and str...
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References
Bibliographical reference
Xiangyi Li and Zeyu Gong, “Multi-sited Consumption in the Greater Bay Area: The Interplay of National Policies, Consumer Behaviours, and Urban Amenity Transformation”, China Perspectives, 139 | 2024, 7-19.
Electronic reference
Xiangyi Li and Zeyu Gong, “Multi-sited Consumption in the Greater Bay Area: The Interplay of National Policies, Consumer Behaviours, and Urban Amenity Transformation”, China Perspectives [Online], 139 | 2024, Online since 01 December 2025, connection on 18 January 2025. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/17682; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/130gu
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About the authors
Xiangyi Li is Associate Professor at the School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 135 Xingang Xi Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, China (lixy26@mail.sysu.edu.cn).
Zeyu Gong is a master’s student in sociology from the Department of Sociology, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China (2401211880@stu.pku.edu.cn).
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