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It's a tradition in China for the kids to return to their hometown for Spring Festival, which is considered the most important family gathering of the year. But some families are doing just the opposite with the parents journeying to their children's cities for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
"When my parents were around, my home was wherever they were. Now my parents are gone, I would go wherever my child is. My home is where she is," said Zhao Fengxian, the mother of Zhang Xianru.
Mum visits her only child for the festival every year, helping to take care of
Zhang's business – a pet hotel.
Zhao Fengxian comes to Beijing from northeast China for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Not surprisingly, the business gets busier during Chinese holidays, making it almost impossible for Zhang to return
home. Zhao, who owns a company herself, couldn't understand her daughter in the first place, but now she has compromised.
"I'm snowed under most of the time, but on holidays, I'm free," she said. "I just want to have a regular life – taking my days off on holidays. But now my plan goes south because I must help my daughter. Everyone is saying I'm spending all of my holidays in Beijing."
Zhao also helps to take care of her granddaughter.
It was a tug of war as to where to spend the Spring Festival, and one party had to "compromise."
"Technically, I wanna go back home for the festival, but I'm more attached to the cats – this doesn't sound right somehow," Zhang said. "She tried to talk me out of it. I've been spending every minute with these cats – ever since they were kittens. I've been with them in some very important moments of their lives, like when they were spayed or neutered – they are more like family."
Zhao thinks her daughter takes after her, and she's proud of it.
"I believe a mother will determine whether a kid likes animals or not in the future. If a mother cannot accept animals, her kid's nature of loving animals will also be suppressed," the mother said.
Conventionally, the youngsters in China will go back to their parents' during holidays, but families such as the Zhangs are starting to do the opposite. As mum says, home is where my child is.
(CGTN)
