This is the first representative study to assess the main determinants of intergenerational contact in China. It used a representative sample of 15,399 child-parent dyads to predict the frequency of (a) face-to-face contacts (b) contacts by (mobile) phone, text messaging and other electronic means and (c) all contacts; focusing in particular on the role of migration as well as children's gender, marital status and education level. The findings showed that distance was a major barrier to face-to-face contact in China, although most migrant children called regularly. They also indicated higher overall levels of contact with sons than with daughters, which can be attributed to the traditional norm of filial piety. At the same time, it was found that unmarried daughters and highly educated daughters had more contact with parents than their male counterparts, which suggests a weakening of gendered family practices in the wake of China's demographic and economic transformation.