Eleven-year-old Lei lives with her grandparents, brother and two cousins, in the Yunnan province of Southwest China. Her parents, like many others, had to move to a large city to live and work – making Lei one of the millions of ‘children left behind’ – but they still visit their children once a week. Lei’s grandparents are farmers and grow rice, sugar cane and vegetables. They now live in a city, which is far more convenient for schools, markets and hospitals. Lei walks to school, which is one kilometre away. She has thirty minutes of homework each night. Her grandmother wishes that Lei had a greater understanding of her ethnic background. She feels it is important for a person to recognize their own identity and pass on customs from generation to generation. Lei would like to be a doctor when she grows up and hopes that her parents will be able to borrow enough money to send her to university.
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