An increasing number of Taiwanese men are traveling to China in search of work and abandoning their wives and children to start a new family on the mainland. The trend has caused anguish and emptiness for abandoned Taiwanese families, and may even surmount to a social epidemic. For single mothers, finding work in Taiwan can be difficult, especially due to the weak economy and high child-care costs.
See "Embracing China, Men Leave Taiwanese Wives", Tyler Marshall, Los Angeles Times, August 1, 2001