Zhangmu, Chongqing, China
Tan Jiying (4), whose parents are working in Guangdong Province nearly 1,000 km away.
The portrait series depicts children in the village of Zhangmu, Chongqing, in southwest China, both alone and with a much-loved teacher Fu Huaying.
China has some 220 million migrant workers. Young couples moving from rural areas to work in the cities often have to leave their children behind while they earn money to support the family. Many who meet and marry far from home need to remain working, and so take their children to be looked after back in their villages by grandparents.
La Chine compte quelque 220 millions de travailleurs émigrés. De jeunes couples quittent leurs villages pour travailler en ville et délaissent souvent leurs enfants pendant qu’ils gagnent de l’argent pour aider leur famille. Beaucoup, qui se rencontrent et se marient loin de chez eux, doivent continuer à travailler et confient leurs enfants aux grands- parents dans les villages.
Les portraits montrent des enfants du village de Zhangmu, au Chongqing, dans le sud-ouest de la Chine, seuls ou avec la bien-aimée institutrice Fu Huaying.
