Zeng Zhiyue (L) met her father at a train station in Chongqing on Jan. 6, 2016. Her father works in a different province and can only meet her in the Spring Festival. (Photo: Xinhua/Chen Cheng)
SEPARATION TOO GREAT A PRICE
Yu Changmei and Tao Yonghong have missed out on the benefits of these schemes. It took Yu three months to secure a job at an electronics factory with a monthly salary of 1,600 yuan, almost the same as she was earning in Guizhou. Tao has not yet found a job.
Still, they think being a family again more than makes up for the drop in income. "It's worth it," said Yu. "Separation from my family and community was too great a price to pay."
It was not the government that persuaded them to return, but their children's teacher. Peng Kaiqiang noticed that the pair were often glum and did not delight at school parties like other kids.
"Their uncle treated them well, and their foster family did not struggle for money. What they lacked was their parents' love," said Peng.
Peng called Yu and Tao every week, talking them through their offspring's performance at school. Eventually, Yu realized the separation was not doing her children any good.
Soon after the couple came home, Peng saw Xingyue and Junshen coming out of their shells.
"They used to follow their uncle back home in silence, but now it's hugs and laughs when their mum or dad picks them up," said the teacher.
MAKING SEPARATION LESS COSTLY
Others in their class are feeling the love. The number of left-behind children in their school has dropped from more than 30 in 2012 to 11 today.
In the past three years, Chongqing's left-behind population has shrunk by 16.8 percent to 890,000.
Encouraging as this may be for children's well-being, the huge numbers of migrant workers nationwide (247 million at the end of 2015, according to the National Bureau of Statistics) mean that the problem is not going away altogether.
Authorities are ready to act on Sunday's State Council guideline.
"The phenomenon will persist, taking into consideration China's economic and social development," said Li Yi, head of children's affairs with Chongqing women's federation.
"We'll help the guardians of left-behind children get up to speed with parenting skills and raise their awareness of safety," Li said. "We've got 200,000 volunteers ready to offer care and support."
