As millions of farmers move into cities for job opportunities, their children are often left behind in the rural areas. It's reported that the number is now more than 4 million. As our reporter Zhang Lu finds out in Sichuan, these children are in need of parental love and care. Poverty reduction is the key to addressing this issue.

It's lunch time. Gu Jinxia and Gu Jinli are cooking. Usually, there is only one dish for each meal. Today it's haricot beans. No one will come to join them. The 14-year-old twin sisters have lived alone for years. Their parents are now working in cities.

Gu Jinli said, "We have lived by ourselves for more than 6 years. It will soon be 7 years. Mother is working in Meishan. Father is in Jiangsu."

Besides taking care of themselves, the two girls also perform all of the housework. They tend to the family's corn and rice farm. They also raise chickens as food for the Chinese lunar new year, when their parents will return.

As China's economy booms, millions of farmers are moving to cities to pursue opportunities. But in most cities, current regulations make it nearly impossible for migrant children to attend school. With little income, many migrant workers have to leave their children at home, unattended and without care.

Jinli and Jinxia frequently go to the village's "Left Behind Children's Care Center" on weekends. Like the twins, many of the children stay on their own or with just one parent.

"My father works in Liangshan."

"My parents are in Shenzhen."

"My father has just come back."

"My father is in Beijing."

Group activities can be fun for these lonely children, but they can never replace parental love.

Paintings reveal their dreams of united and happy families.

Jin Dali, who is also a left behind child, said, "This is me. This is my second sister. This is my oldest sister. This is my mother and this is my father."

Dali says he has not seen his father in more than 5 months. All of these children have not seen their parents for quite some time.

Their teacher says that the lack of childhood care and education, not to mention adult supervision, can create problems.

Zhang Cuirong, the teacher, said, "Children with parents' care, and those without it, are quite different in their character and personality. For example, there is a boy in our class whose parents haven't come back for years. He doesn't like to talk. He is quiet and not easy to communicate with."

Jinli and Jinxia take a nearly-one-hour bicycle ride to school every day. That saves them the two yuan cost of bus fare. Having more income is the biggest concern for the entire family. They say they miss their parents very much, but they understand that there is no better option.

Gu Jinxia said, "I think it's good that our parents go to work in cities. They can make more money for the family there."

The two girls are now in junior high school. They want to continue to get senior high school education if the family can afford it. If not, they say when they are old enough, they will also go to a city to earn a better living.

CCTV reporter Zhang Lu said, "Saying goodbye to the sisters, I concluded my journey in southwest China. From Tibet to Yunnan, from Guizhou to Sichuan. Most of the places I visited were in remote areas. I found that poverty still remains the biggest challenge and is the cause of many social problems, such as children being left by their parents."

In Guizhou, environmental protection challenges poverty reduction. In Chongqing, migrant workers still find it hard to protect their rights.

But changes are starting to be seen in the meantime.

In Tibet, the health care system has been improved to ensure that the poor can afford medical services. In Wanzhou, efforts have been strengthened to help women achieve re-employment.

And a pilot project has been carried out in Chongqing to provide migrant workers with low-rent housing.

Reform takes time, and change may not take place overnight. But the direction is clear -- achieving a better life for all.

CCTV reporter Zhang Lu said, "During my one-month trip, I saw both changes and challenges. China has achieved so much in social and economic development over the past 6 decades that many have called it a miracle. But the country is so vast that development is unbalanced. More needs to be done to help people in these areas reduce poverty."

(CCTV September 23, 2009)