Unhealed scars

Xiang's wife gave birth to a boy last year, and they decided to return home.

The salary of Xiang and his wife reached 7,000 yuan a month before they left the factory in Foshan. However, he said he would rather give up the job in exchange for being with his children.

"I have already given my daughter a complete childhood away from her parents, and I do not want to do that to my son," he said.

With the money he and his wife earned in Foshan, Xiang managed to build a three-story villa in his hometown, buy a car valued at 70,000 yuan and set up a restaurant near a primary school in the county.

The economic reward has made him quite happy, but his 7-year-old daughter has become "too disobedient", which made him worried.

The girl used to tell him that there was no homework after class, but her teacher told him that the pupils have to do homework every day.

"To punish her for telling lies, I used to lash her hands with a small whip," he said. "I was too angry to hold my temper."

Xiang attributed his daughter's rebellion to the long separation. "Anyway, I owe my daughter a lot," he repeated several times.

Unlike the parents who miss their left-behind children very much, most of the left-behind children interviewed by China Daily said they do not miss their parents that much.

"I can't even remember what my dad and mom look like," said Zhou Jing.

Zhou said she missed her parents when she was bullied at school by naughty classmates.

"If my parents were at home to protect me, the situation would be better," she said.