Zhu Xu attends a class in Xianfeng County of Enshi, central China's Hubei Province, October 12, 2009. [Xinhua]

Eight-year-old Zhu Xu was a 3rd grade student of Boyangping Nationality Primary School. A child like him was supposed to live happily with parents, but in his memory he did not have such happiness. His father Zhu Gang had left home to search for work since 1994. In 2001 after Zhu Xu was born, his mother also went to southwest China's Chongqing to work. Zhu could only see them once in a year.

In the mountain areas, people lived far away from each other so there were not so many friends to play with Zhu Xu. Although his grandpa and grandma were very kind to him, they could not spend much time with him due to the heavy housework. Zhu Xu always helped them after he finished his homework. Books and a baby cat from neighborhood became his good friends.

Zhu Xu lived at school and went back home every weekend. He had to walk alone on mountain path for three kilometers to reach the road and then caught a bus for a 20-minute ride to school. At school the ring woke him up early on 7:00 AM every morning. He had 9 classes including a morning reading class and a self-studying class everyday. On every Wednesday Zhu Xu and his schoolmates took part in a club the school arranged especially for the children of migrant workers in which they could play games together and telephone their parents.