This innovative study introduces the concept of xiangchou – homesickness and rural nostalgia – to English-language scholarship, using it as a lens through which to explore rural development in contemporary China.Using hometown ethnography, Linda Qian takes a village in Zhejiang province as her primary case study to demonstrate the emotional, social and political forces shaping rural return migration and development policies.Through personal narratives and state-led initiatives, she reveals how xiangchou functions as both a 'structure of feeling' and a tool of affective governance.By intertwining lived experiences with broader social and political contexts, this study highlights the overlapping desires projected onto the countryside and underscores the significance of the 'rural' in the traditional concept of the 'hometown'.