From 2000 to 2006, Zhao Deping frequently traveled between Changchun, Jilin province, and Beijing where his son had found a job and decided to settle.

Zhao, 63, who still has a Changchun accent, recalled the first few months he stayed in Beijing. "Everything was different. ... I had no friends to visit. I didn't know what to do after I got up."

Zhao is one of many elderly parents who follow their children to big cities such as Beijing. Living in strange neighborhoods far from their relatives and friends, many find it difficult to settle in a new city.