As young Chinese children head abroad to study, many anxious parents are opting to move with them, but some experts say the trend is a double-edged sword, as Zhao Xinying reports.

Tang Xiaobing hasn't seen her 14-year-old son since March when she left him in the United States and traveled back to China alone. Now, the 45-year-old Beijing resident faces the prospect of another eight months of separation - and all because she tried to do the right thing.

When her son began studying at a high school in the state of Connecticut in June 2013, Tang became one of a growing number of Chinese parents who move abroad and take up residence close to their offspring. Despite speaking little English and fully aware that she would see little of her son, and would even have to e-mail the school to arrange meetings with him, Tang traveled to the US in March 2013 to find a place to live.