A touching article about the importance of family in Chinese culture:

"Kok is part of a small, largely invisible contingent of devoted Chinese grandparents who leave their homes, families, and friends for many months to care for young grandchildren in the United States. Their presence serves as a measure of the importance Chinese families place on the extended family.

"People still want to stay with their children and grandchildren," explains Amy Lin Tan, author of "Chinese American Children & Families." "The middle generation still understands deeply that it is an obligation to have the paternal grandparents living in the home."

No statistics track the number of Chinese grandparents who come as temporary visitors for this purpose. But as C.C. Tien, president of the Chinese American Forum in Seattle, observes, "It's not rare."

According to Ms. Tan, the grandparents come from three major areas: mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong."