BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhuanet) -- There's a village in the mountains of east China's Anhui province, that's missing about half of its residents. But unlike much of the working-age Chinese rural population, residents of the Huaitang village are going a lot farther than big cities to seek their fortunes.
Seven-year-old Zhu Xixi was born in Spain, but is being raised by her grandparents in China. So are her sisters, brother and cousins. Xixi's parents have been working in a Chinese restaurant in Spain for 15 years. They're too busy to look after their five children. So they have left them all in the care of the 60-year-old grandparents. When the children miss their parents, their grandma will flip open old memories.
"Of course I miss them. I do hope they can come back home once they think they've earned enough money. My husband and I don't want to die alone without our children around.' said Yu Yueying, Zhu Xixi'S Grandmother.
It's too expensive for Yu to make a call to her sons and daughters-in-law. They usually do it on the internet at an arranged time. Only ten minutes each time, but ten minutes that close the distance.
"Yu's family is not alone in Huaitang village. In the 1970s, the trend to seek fortunes in Europe began here. They started out as laborers working in restaurants. But now the new generation have found various kinds of jobs in Europe, like leather dealers. Some even run their own companies.' said Lyu Hongmei, Director, Shexian Foreign Affairs Office.
Huaitang village has a population of 2,000. Half of them are working abroad in Europe, mostly in Spain and Italy. So it's earned the name "Euro village". The village is very quiet and it's mostly elderly people and kids that are seen on the streets. But there are also those who've come home with their success stories.
After years spent trying to earn a living in Europe, these villagers have earned a considerable amount of money. But even after all this time, they find it difficult adjusting to the culture and lifestyle there. Many have therefore come back home.
Every year, these villagers bring back 50 million yuan on average, and even some European influence. Like these newly built villas in the area. The more successful among them have invested in hotels, cafe and real estate. In their words, their roots are in China, where they will eventually return and make a contribution.