Yang said.

Lin rarely received a phone call from his parents. In fact, even after his death, his father appeared indifferent, reluctant to return home from the city where he was struggling to make money.

A day before Lin killed himself, two “left-behind” girls aged 9 and 10 in central Hunan Province secretly took a train to meet their parents in Zhaoqing City in southern Guangdong Province.

In November, an 11-year-old boy from Hubei Province went to look for his parents in Beijing with less than 100 yuan (US$16.5) in his pockets that he had saved up. He was sent home by police.

Sang Qingsong, a professor with Anhui Normal University, said the lack of parental love and care toward “left-behind” children created a sense of helplessness and abandonment.

According to an All-Chinato annex the property in October 2011, but a group of King Farm residents opposed the initial plans for residential and retail development over concerns about increased traffic, The Gazette previously reported.

Former Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo filed a petition for judicial review of the decision, saying the city did not follow its own adequate public facilities ordinance in approving the development. King Farm resident Cathy Scott also opposed the development because she believed the remains of one of her ancestors might be buried on the property.

The petition was later dismissed.

Plans for Bainbridge Shady Grove include apartments with a pool, billiards, fitness facility, conference center, fire pit and a 477-space parking garage. Plans call for a six-story apartment building on the 4.37-acre property along Frederick Road with five stories