A poster of the drama "The Story of Xiaoyi." (Photo/provided to People's Daily Online)

The Story of Xiaoyi, a drama meant to raise public awareness about the care of China's left-behind children, was staged in Beijing on August 11, 2017.

The drama is based on a true story that happened in July 2014. It is about a left-behind child named Xiaoyi who lives with her grandparents and young sister in rural Guizhou. Xiaoyi's parents could not return home from their place of work for the Spring Festival once again, leaving the family in disappointment and Xiaoyi in anger. Volunteers from Shanghai went to Xiaoyi's home and tried to cheer them up.

Different from traditional shows, all the performers are volunteers from Huidiji Public Psychological Care Center in Shanghai. In the past two years, the drama has been staged a total of 23 times in Shanghai and Chengdu. Nearly 50 celebrities have been involved as guest performers to help comfort left-behind children. Their diverse backgrounds and personalities have added to the performances.

This time, two guests, former CCTV host Liu Yiwei and news anchor Lang Yongchun, were invited to perform as volunteers visiting Xiaoyi's family. The guests had no lines, script, or rehearsals, so it was purely improvisational acting.

"The Story of Xiaoyi," a drama meant to raise public awareness about the care of left-behind children in China, is staged in Beijing on August 11, 2017. (Photo/provided to People's Daily Online)

With China's rapid urbanization over the last two decades, millions of villagers work in the cities, leaving their children at home. Statistics shows that in 2016, the number of left-behind children aged 16 or under and whose parents were not at home was 9.02 million in rural areas in China. That number is even larger when you take into account families with only one parent working outside of the village. These left-behind children are vulnerable to physical and emotional abuse, and often face challenges with personal safety and well-being.

How to help and protect left-behind children has long been a hot issue. Many NGOs and individuals have tried a variety of methods to solve the problem. However, there are also some people who are just using the situation to gain fame and fortune. Instead of providing material support, Huidiji focuses on the mental health of left-behind children. As shown in the drama, with the help of volunteers, love is passed on among family members, as well as between teachers and students, by telling them three simple words: "I love you."

The drama, no matter how good or bad the performance, has aroused public concern about left-behind children. "We hope to get more people involved in helping left-behind children and caring about the mental health of our whole society," said Liu Yang, host of the performance.