China is transforming itself from a land of villages to a land of cities. The government estimates there are now some 200-million rural migrants working in urban centers. That’s having a profound impact on cities and on the villages left behind. Money sent back home helps build houses and put kids through school. It also increases prosperity in the villages.

But it often comes at a cost – both to the migrants, and to those remaining behind. The World’s Mary Kay Magistad looks at the view from a village in southern China.

all photos: Mary Kay Magistad