Journey to Claire

A China Adoption Story

Map of China

The north and west are mostly desert and extremely cold in winter as it borders with Siberia.  These areas are sparsely populated by people considered minorities.

The southern provinces can be vey tropical in summer.

Most adoption orphanages are in central and southern provinces, most commonly Hunan, Sichuan, Hubei, Guangdong, Fujian, Jianxi and Anhui.

A Brief History

China is one of the earliest developed civilizations in the world.  It has a recorded written history of about 4,000 years.

 

The Xia (pronounced shya) Dynasty around 2070 B.C was a slave society.  After the Xia dynasty, the Shang and the West Zhou (pronounced joe) dynasties further developed the slave-owning system.

 

The Qin (pronounced chin) Dynasty (259B.C-210B.C) unified the written language, weights and measures, standardized the currency, and established a provincial-unit system.  Emporer Qin is responsible for the construction of the Great Wall & the Terra Cotta Warriors that “guard” his tomb.

 

The Han (pronounced h-on) Dynasty (206B.C.-220A.D.) had an enormous impact on the population through agriculture, handcrafts & trade.  It was during this time that the so-called Silk Road to the west was established.  Buddhism spread through China during this period.

 

The Tang Dynasty (618A.D-907A.D) advanced agriculture and trade, while textiles, dyeing, ceramics, smelting, & shipbuilding also developed.

 

The Song Dynasty's (960- 1279) astronomy, science, technology, as well as printing, were at the forefront of the world. 

 

The Yuan (pronounced y-wan) Dynasty (1271-1368) was established under Geighis Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan.  Paper, printing, navigational compasses and gunpowder were four inventions that spread to the world during the Song and Yuan period.

 

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) moved the capital to Beijing in 1421.

 

The Qing (pronounced ching) Dynasty (1644-1911) unified Taiwan as well as suppressed a Russian invasion under Emperor Kangxi (pronounced kangshee).

 

During the Modern era (1840-1919), England imported large quantities of opium to China. The Qing government tried hard to put a stop to the trade, but England launched an aggressive war in 1840 for protecting the opium trade. In 1911, Sun Zhongshan (pronounced jongshon) led the Xinhe (pronounced shinhe) Revolution and created the Republic of China. This was one of the greatest events in the Chinese modern history.

 

On May 4, 1919 intense patriotic passion caused the protest movement that started among students, but then gathered strength throughout all levels of the social strata. In 1921 Mao Zedong and 12 representatives from the local communist group held the first National People's Congress in Shanghai and the Chinese Communist Party was born.

 

The People’s Republic of China (1949- now): At the beginning of this new China, the Chinese government successfully completed the land reform. From May, 1966 to October, 1976 was the ten year "Great Cultural Revolution ".  In 1979, General Secretary Deng Xiaoping (pronounced dung shyaoping) carried out "the reform and open policy" and refocused efforts for modernization. Since the reform and open policy, China has had the profound change: the economy progressed by leaps and bounds, and the peoples’ living standard was remarkably enhanced.

China’s One Child Policy

In the 1960's, Chairman Mao mandated the "Great Leap Forward".  Private land ownership was rescinded, the population was forced into collecive farming and families were urged to have lots of children to strengthen the country; this was a disaster waiting to happen.  While the population was growing, there was a large crop failure & famine in which over 20 million people straved to death.

In 1979, the Chinese government implemented the "One Child Policy".  The goal of this policy was control China's population growth.   In a country roughly the size of the US, China is home to over 1.2 billion people (more than a quarter of world's population).

On an individual level this program seems harsh.  A couple on China must apply & receive a "schedule" of when it is their turn to try for a pregnancy.  Couples who voilate the one-child policy are subject to fines, banishment and even jail time.  Punishment can also include having the electricity shut off to their home or even the homes of their relatives.

Even though it is illegal in China to have a second child, it is also against the law to abandon a child.  The babies are left in public places - such as busy streets, railway stations, and in front of public buildings - so they will be found quickly.  They are usually only a few days old.  Once found, the babies are given a medical exam and then taken to an orphanage.  A "finding ad" is placed in local newspapers for up to six months in hopes that someone will come forward to claim the child.  If no one comes forward, then the child is eiligible for adoption.

Preference for boys

In Chinese society, the first born male is expected by tradition (and sometimes by law) to care for his parents.  This is particularly true in rural areas where this is the parents only “retirement plan" when they are too old to work in the fields.  Inheritance laws pass property on to sons (not daughters).  A daughter is expected to “marry out” and care for her husband’s parents.  Only a son may perform ceremonies to uphold tradition and carry on the family name. 

This cultural preferance has been reinforced by the one-child policy.  Because of this, many women will abandon baby girls if firstborn in order to try again for a son. 

Twenty eight years after the one-child policy was introduced, it doesn't take much to figure that there will be a shortage of women for marriage.  There are currently four women for every five men of marrying age in China.  That is why the Chinese government has launched a campaign tooting the importance of girls.