Profile in courage: A teenager who lives by herself

A typical weekday in her life involves waking up; going to school, which is a few minutes by foot; studying and eating meals at school; playing chess and reading Russian authors at leisure; and "meeting" childhood friends on social media, most of whom are the so-called left-behind children.

On weekends, she visits her ailing grandfather in the nearby village of her birth, where he lives in a dilapidated house. Fan can't live in it, she says, "it's falling apart".

She doesn't need to shop for grocery or cook. She probably washes her own clothes and does daily chores that aren't unusual for any teenager. When China Daily meet with her earlier this week, the interview was brief as she was studying for an upcoming exam. More questions that could have provided a deeper glimpse into her life couldn't be asked owing to a shortage of time.

Used to life in the big city, Fan initially struggled to adapt to her new semi-urban existence. She was also afraid to live alone, she says. But her school seems to have played a significant role in easing her situation. Of a total 775 students here, 543 are children whose parents work in cities outside of Fuyang.

Guan Dongkui, the principal, says his school acts as a second home for such children. "We help them fight loneliness."

Fan's parents and sibling usually visit her during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday. She also travels to Beijing when schools are shut for weeks in summer.

"I don't have real dreams yet because dreaming isn't always practical," she says, with the wisdom of a person who has been forced to grow up ahead of her time.

But Fan isn't totally dismissive of the future either. She would like to travel the world if she makes enough money, she says.