Chinese orphans adopted by US families
- By Wu Jin
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E-mail Ecns.cn, November 26, 2015
With the sharp decline in children adopted worldwide by American families, a report about the lives of adopted Chinese children in the United States reveals the stories of joy and sorrow behind the diminished figures.
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Nearly 90% of 88,298 adopted Chinese children in U.S. are girls: newspaper |
When Teresa looked at the photo of Sarah for the first time on Facebook three years ago, the girl had burns covering 70 percent of her skin.
In July, 2015, Sarah attended a summer camp for the first time where she managed to climb rocks, swim and join in the games with her teammates. She talked feverishly about her experience in the camp to Teresa, her American foster mother, who transformed her life by adopting the miserable girl abandoned by her biological parents in China.
Faye, diagnosed with light cerebral palsy, was also an orphan living in Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. Eleven years ago, she was adopted by an American couple who gave her a comfortable and joyous life. Faye, now living in Massachusetts, joined a gathering of adopted children with Chinese origins.
She hopes one day she can see her biological parents and tell them how grateful she feels for them bringing her into the world.
Lily was adopted by an American couple named Larson in 2002 about one year after her birth. Each weekend, her foster parents would send her to the Chinese language and dancing classes in Maryland to meet other Chinese children similarly adopted.
Alice Larson, her foster mother, never talked about her abandonment after her birth so as to avoid hurt feelings. However, she has found it increasingly difficult to shun the topic as the girl keeps inquiring about her life before the adoption.
Born on Feb. 4, 1990, Ming, a girl in orphanage with an inherent foot disability, was adopted by her American parents in 1994. However, her relations with her foster parents became somewhat tense and she moved out of their house upon graduation from university. Ming has a boyfriend, who, according to her, is the most intimate person in her life.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the number of children adopted by American families from other countries plummeted from 23,000 to 6,441 between 2004 and 2014. Among them, China remains the biggest source of adaptation for the United States, although the number fell from 7,044 to 2,040 in 2014. By 2014, 88,298 Chinese orphans had been adopted by American citizens .
Lack of trust seems to have led some adopted children to become uneasy about living with their adoptive families.
Margret, the foster mother of Ming, said she didn’t know what happened to the girl in the first four-and-a-half years after her birth. As the girl was abandoned as an infant, she has always felt insecure.
According to her foster father, Ming is sensitive and easily gets outraged and agitated. She has never stopped quarreling with her adoptive parents since she was 13.
Once Ming’s sister Hillary invited her to a manicure shop opened by an American Chinese in Manhattan, Ming was furious at Hillary arguing that her sister was prejudiced against Chinese women, seemingly thinking they had no abilities but polishing nails.
Margaret said the family tried hard to improve their relations by reading and talking with Ming or sometimes leaving her alone in her room, but all in vain.
Two months ago, Ming got a new job in Seattle. Her foster father left her a note urging her to be trustful and tolerant with her colleagues. However, the job lasted no more than a month before Ming was fired. Ming decided not to tell her adoptive parents because she thought her dismissal would irritate them even more.
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