Article in Shanghai Daily about Chinese perspective on foreign adoption
Adoption can help blend different cultures
Wu Jiayin
2006-03-21
LOVE is boundless. This is again forcefully evidenced by the fact that an increasing number of foreign families are enthusiastic about adopting Chinese children.
According to Peng Keyu, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco, more than 50,000 Chinese children have been adopted by foreign families over the past ten years. And 80 percent of the families are from the United States.
Unlike Chinese parents, who tend to hide the truth of the adoption from their adopted children, foreign parents not only tell the children about their origins, but also take them back to their motherland from time to time to familiarize them with their own country.
Patrick and Carolyn Kezele are one such couple. They adopted two girls from Sichuan Province four years ago. Since then, Ms Kezele has given up her well-paid job and has devoted all her time to taking care of the children. To provide the duo with the best growing-up environment, the Kezeles try hard to absorb Chinese culture along with their daughters.
Admittedly, these adopted children are fortunate in being able to enjoy the care and warmth of foreign families. But at the same time, the kind-hearted adopters also draw much joy from their children while falling deeper in love with Chinese culture.
In this sense, blending different cultures through philanthropy might be the most rewarding experience.
Wu Jiayin
2006-03-21
LOVE is boundless. This is again forcefully evidenced by the fact that an increasing number of foreign families are enthusiastic about adopting Chinese children.
According to Peng Keyu, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco, more than 50,000 Chinese children have been adopted by foreign families over the past ten years. And 80 percent of the families are from the United States.
Unlike Chinese parents, who tend to hide the truth of the adoption from their adopted children, foreign parents not only tell the children about their origins, but also take them back to their motherland from time to time to familiarize them with their own country.
Patrick and Carolyn Kezele are one such couple. They adopted two girls from Sichuan Province four years ago. Since then, Ms Kezele has given up her well-paid job and has devoted all her time to taking care of the children. To provide the duo with the best growing-up environment, the Kezeles try hard to absorb Chinese culture along with their daughters.
Admittedly, these adopted children are fortunate in being able to enjoy the care and warmth of foreign families. But at the same time, the kind-hearted adopters also draw much joy from their children while falling deeper in love with Chinese culture.
In this sense, blending different cultures through philanthropy might be the most rewarding experience.
1 Comments:
Hey Lissa,
Just wanted to say that I've really been enjoying your blog lately. Maybe I'm just looking for it, but it seems to me that adopting from China has been in the news a lot lately; both positive and negative press. It really is a complex issue, and I'm glad to see the amount of discussion going on.
Oh, and I love the "sleeping with the enemy" picture. Hui-Hui was terrified of our dog when he first came home, now it's the dog who steers clear of Hui-Hui!
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