Photos: Children waiting for families at China’s Yingtan Welfare Institue and a banner welcoming returning adoptive families
The feast at the home of our daughter’s former foster family, mentioned earlier in the week, was just one highlight of our recent visit to JiangXi Province. In fact, the weekend turned out so well that it was hard to believe we looked forward to the trip with trepidation. Then again, the two previous journeys to our daughter’s birthplace had been fraught with drama not easily forgotten. Both times, it was made clear to us that what we were doing was highly discouraged – if not illegal – and until the moment we actually arrived at the foster family’s home, deep in the Chinese countryside, we had doubted whether or not we would actually be able to pull it off. This visit, I am pleased to say, went without a hitch.
From the time we arrived, we were welcomed to our daughter’s birthplace warmly. The hotel staff had been upgraded and now spoke English, and it was immediately clear that the atmosphere for adoptive families returning to China to visit former orphanages and foster families has changed dramatically. The evening before we planned to set out on our three hour drive from Nanchang to Yingtan, the closest town to Elisa’s former home, we met another adoptive family who told us they were welcomed with fireworks at their daughter’s former orphanage.
The following morning, our guide, Jelly (“Like jam!” she announced), and driver could not have been happier to help facilitate our sentimental journey. As we set off on our long drive through the Chinese countryside, a light rain turned heavy and we were surprised that – five years later – the road was still under construction. Nevertheless, our mood was light as Jelly, a lively and lovely young Chinese woman, provided a history of the region.
Jelly did not receive many English-speaking tourists, and we enjoyed her attempts to recall just the right words to describe what we were seeing. “Look at the coffee!” she exclaimed, pointing to the ubiquitous burial mounds – graves for farmers who traditionally asked to be put to rest in their fields. “Ha ha! I mean coffins!” she added – and then clarified, “They are combs – No, no, that’s not right. Tombs!” And later, “The River is known for its cabs – I mean crabs!” And so on.
Entering Yingtan, Jelly informed us that the town had a population of 500,000 (“Five thousand! Is that right? No! Fifty Thousand! No! Five hundred thousand! Ha Ha!”) – and was known for its many factories specializing in the production of eye glasses and copper wiring for light bulbs. She explained that “Ying” meant bird and “tan” small river. The town received its name because of the many birds that stopped to drink at the water’s edge.
When we pulled up to the Yingtan Welfare Institute, Elisa’s former legal guardian, the atmosphere could not have been more different than that of two years ago, when we sat stiffly with the director and made small talk. This time, we were greeted with a banner that read, “Welcome to the Adoption Families to Yingtan Welfare House to Reply a Visit.” While we chatted with the director, children of all ages wandered in and out of the room, stopping to chat or grab a piece of fruit that had been put out in our honor.
When the director asked if we would like a tour of the facility, which houses both children and the elderly, I couldn’t believe our good luck. She escorted us to the room where Elisa had stayed for a night before joining her family. The rooms we saw were clean, warm and cozy with sweet wooden bed frames and colorful posters on the wall. We were thrilled to meet several baby girls, who were awaiting their new families.
As we left, the director gave Elisa a small jade charm of a monkey, Elisa’s Chinese zodiac sign, and implored me to ask the adoptive families in our group to keep in touch. She said that while she sent so many babies to the United States, she rarely heard from – or about – any of them again. This is a shame. Before this trip, my husband and I had agreed it would be our last until Elisa was old enough to appreciate it. Once we were there, however, the unexpectedly warm welcome, made us think again.
See other photos at Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday.