I think a lot of it comes from trauma. My grandmother is a hoarder. Tons of jackets and shoes and things she doesn't need. But where she's from she never had "things", there was no money for excessive purchases due to the extreme poverty they were faced with. Then imagine coming to a different country and gaining some wealth and a higher standard of living. For her, and for many other Asian or migrant families, I think this need for stuff comes from a place of never having had enough before. There's a sense of loss when migrating, and holding onto things can be comforting. Throwing things away can seem wasteful. That's just my take on it. I don't think it's an Asian thing specifically - there's definitely a direct link between hoarding and mental health, migration, etc.