This paper discusses the migration experiences of a middle-aged man surnamed Gao in his life course, and analyzes how he used the "being away and returning home" and "transnational movement" to negotiate family relationships, to show regional-type masculinity. Mining a "migration ethnographic" perspective, the authors interview Gao's family members and observe their interactions. We have found Gao had three major migration actions: "leaving home to work in his 20s", "crossing borders to take a wife in his 30s" and "returning to care for family in his 40s," all of wich are expected to fulfill patriarchal societal gender roles of a "good son", "good husband" and "good father". This paper stresses how the local patriarchal culture and family relations contextually influenced Gao's dynamic migration and masculinity in his life.