Beijing - Tuesday, July 5, 2011

We visited Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City in the morning. Again, it was extremely hot. There were many thousands of people touring that day – it was summer vacation, and July 1 was the 90^th anniversary  of the founding of the Chinese Communist party.

The Forbidden City contains a palace with 9,999 rooms. Only the Emperor, his family (many hundreds of children by various wives and concubines), eunnichs (servants) and concubines were allowed in to the inner sanctum of the palace. Mr. Wu, our guide explained all the various rituals and the importance of certain numbers- (“9^th” means everlasting, as it represents the largest single number; “8” means infinity, and it is very auspicious, etc.)

After the tour, we had a quick lunch, and then visited the Temple of Heaven. This was my first visit here, and it is exquisite. It is situated in a beautiful forested  park. We then went to another park, where the children all went on rides in a children’s playground. Then to another great dinner, and on to the train station in west Beijing, to take an overnight train to Xian. The accommodations were tight, but nice enough. The girls loved being in close proximity and a big play group developed, as the girls hung out in one of the train cabins. This trip also allowed the adults to get to know each other better. The train trip was 12 hours long. In the very early morning, it was wonderful to see the very lush countryside. The train is a joint venture between the Canadian Railway and China, so the train was quite nice.

90th Year of Chinese Communist Party

Our Lotus Tour Group - Tianamen Square

Rebecca, Hannah, Elizabeth, Olivia in Tianamen Square

Forbidden City - Main Courtyard

Elizabeth and Rebecca inside Forbidden City

Temple of Heaven

All But Two of the Homeland Returnees

Train Sleeping Cabin Gathering

Beijing and The Great Wall - Monday, July 4, 2011

We dressed the girls all in their 4^th of July outfits! Received lots of nice comments.

We left at 7am to make the two hour drive to the Mutianyu Gate of the Great Wall, constructed more than 2,000 years ago. This section of the Great Wall has 24 Gate Towers. We took a cable car up to Gate 14, then Elizabeth, Rebecca, and I started climbing to Gate 20. The first four gates were moderately difficult to climb, however the climb to Gates 19 and 20 were extremely difficult. Elizabeth and I decided to attempt the last two gates (Rebecca pooped out!). What  a steep incline!! It took us two hours to climb from Tower 14 to Tower 20 and then back. It was incredibly hot (near 100 degrees and very humid!), and I felt utterly depleted.

We refreshed ourselves with a lovely lunch in a garden restaurant. Then we drove back to the hotel, for a few hours rest before dinner. The girls went for a swim with all their new fast friends. All the girls were getting along very well.

Tonight we drove to the oldest Peking Duck restaurant in Beijing. It has been serving duck for several hundred years. Many famous people have eaten their Peking Duck here, Presidents Clinton and Nixon, among them. The dinner was exquisite. The Peking Duck the best I have ever eaten. Succulent meat in crispy skin served in little pancakes with scallions and hoisin sauce. The chefs cut the duck in 100+ pieces quickly in front of us. After dinner, we went home and walked around the neigborhood, through a popular open market with snacks to eat, and arts/crafts to buy. Then we went back to the hotel and collapsed in our beds. What an exhausting, but wonderful day! 

Great Wall at Mutianyu Gate

Rebecca and Elizabeth Resting At Great Wall

Ginger and My Girls at Great Wall

Great Wall - Up To Tower 20!

Duck Dinner Being Prepared

Duck Dinner Being Enjoyed!

Scorpions or Seahorses Anyone?

Or, How About Beetles On A Stick?

Beijing - Sunday, July 3, 2011

We joined our tour group today. Six families – a) Lorraine and daughter Sarah from Brooklyn, b) Paul and Cynthia, from Oak Park, Illinois, with their bio sons George (15), Henry (13) and adopted daughter Anne (11), c) Ken and Chris from Columbus, Ohio with their daughters Kate (13) and Claire (9), d) David and Cheryl from Waco, TX, with their daughters Josie (10) and Emily (8), Ginger and I. Six families, with 9 adults and 13 kids (all but the 2 bio boys adopted from China). Our guide was Mr. Woo.  We took a long drive to the Summer Palace, in the outskirts of Beijing. This is where the Emperor and Empress would retreat to in the sweltering Beijing summer (similar to today!). We saw the large lake, stone boat, bridges and towers. This was the last imperial resort built in feudal China. Very beautiful!

Then on to a lunch at the hutong (alleys that run through the old style village neighborhoods that represent the history, culture and lifestyle of old Beijing), at the home of a gentleman, whose family has lived there for over 400 years. The gentleman is known as a good chef. The luncheon he provided included many choices of very tasty food. He showed us his collection of crickets (a favorite pet in China), and his friendly shih zhu dog. After lunch, the children learned how to make kites. In the old days, kites were used in many ways, to deliver messages to the enemy, or others, and also to deliver requests to the emperor, by cutting the kite as it flew over the Forbidden City, to (hopefully) be picked up and delivered to the Emperor! We then visited around the hutong neighborhood by rickshaw. Along the way back, we drove by the Olympic Square, where we saw the Bird's Nest Stadium, the Water Cube, and the Olympic Broadcast Tower. Then we stopped at a jade manufacturer/retailer, where we learned about how to determine what is good jade, watched some carvings being made and purchased several jade items. Then back to the hotel for dinner and a long swim for the girls with their new friends.



Summer Palace Gate



Rebecca and Elizabeth at the Summer Palace

Olympic Bird's Nest Stadium

Rebecca, Hannah, Elizabeth and Rickshaw

Our Hutong Host and His Biggest Cricket!

Learning About Jade

Beijing - Saturday, July 2, 2011

After breakfast, we planned on meeting Mr. Wang, the father of a Chinese friend of a friend of mine. Mr. Wang’s daughter Jia was a student at UMass-Amherst and was “adopted” by my friend Nancy while Jia lived near Boston (she now lives near Philadelphia).  Mr. Wang and his wife have come to the Boston area several times to see his daughter and also visited Nancy. Mr. Wang, who speaks English as a result of living in London for many years as the Air Force attaché to the Chinese embassy, agreed to meet us at the hotel.

 All seven of us and Mr. Wang decided to walk to a park near Tianamen Square. The girls were able to play in the park and to learn a little history about the area. Then Mr. Wang very kindly hosted us at a dumpling lunch at a specialty Dumpling restaurant near our hotel. He must have ordered 10 dishes of dumplings – pork, chicken, fish, vegetable, duck, etc. We quickly became stuffed! Luckily, the restaurant prepared a take-home package so that Mr. Wang could bring the rest of the dinner home. It was wonderful to get Mr. Wang's viewpoint on the many questions we had. He was very much the gentleman, and I think he got a kick out of the girls playing "Marco Polo" (a game of blindman's tag normally played in the pool) in the park! Mr. Wang is retired now, and he told us he is very happy, and that he is able to fill his leisure time with many activities. He was in great physical shape, as he exercises daily.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel, said our thanks and goodbye to Mr. Wang. We then headed by taxi to Ling Ling pearls. I bought earrings and bracelets for the girls. Then back to the hotel for a swim, on to McDonald’s for a quick dinner, and then to see a Chinese acrobat show. The show was beautiful, and amazing, and we all enjoyed it immensely! Then home to bed, as the girls were exhausted (the adults were too!)



Beijing Park





Mr. Wang with Hannah, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Olivia



Mr. Wang at Dumpling Lunch



  



Mr. Wang and Girls in Front of Dumplings Restaurant 

 

Flying To Beijing - Friday, July 1, 2011

Today we flew to Beijing from Zhanjiang. This is a three hour flight to northern China. The flight was delayed and we did not get to Beijing until 6pm. Our guide Julia helped to transfer us from the Beijing Airport (largest in the world) to our hotel, the Novatel – Beijing Peace Hotel, located only a few blocks from city center and Tianamen Square. Ordered room service and went to bed early.

Suixi - Thursday, June 30, 2011

  After breakfast, we got ready for our trip to the orphanage. Rebecca is excited and nervous. We left the hotel at 1pm for Suixi (both a county of 1.5 million and a city), where the Suixi Social Welfare Institute (SWI) is located. Halfway there, we pick up the formula and candy for the children. When we arrive, Rebecca is warmly recognized by Mr. Han (Han Yong, Director). He laughs with happiness and hugs Rebecca continuously. Rebecca is at first unsure, but then is beaming with the attention. Mr. Han brings us to the second floor, where there is a conference room and long table and the leadership offices. We are joined by Zhou Yi You (man) Assistant Director, Ye Hong Ying (woman, and the person in the yellow jacket in Rebecca's adoption photos) Assistant Director, Chen Mei Qing (Doctor), and Yan Yu Qing, Mr. Han's wife and one of the five caretakers for Rebecca's group of children. Mr. Han warmly welcomes us to Suixi SWI and thanks us for honoring us with a visit. They provide us with bowls of fruit (lechee fruit and bananas) and water. We are introduced to everyone, and pictures are taken by me of all the SWI people with Rebecca. I presented Mr. Han with enlargements of the photos I had taken on adoption day in Guangzhou in November 2003. Mr. Han was delighted to see them. I told him that Rebecca referred to him as Baba (Papa), as they were particularly close.

Mr. Han confirmed that Rebecca was left at the gate of the orphanage, when she was 4 days old, and that she was a healthy and lively baby throughout her 2 years at the orphanage. He also said that she cried a lot when frustrated, a trait she still has today! He mentioned that there was no note, birthdate or birth name left with her when she was found. Mr. Zhou was the person responsible for naming all the babies when they arrived at the orphanage. Rebecca's name is  Sui Shao Lian, which means little Lotus flower.

Then Mr. Han told me a story that I had never heard before. Suixi was late to international adoption, and its first group was in 2002. He told me Rebecca was in the first group of Suixi girls matched for adoption. A couple was scheduled to adopt her and Rebecca and her group of girls was brought to Guangzhou for the adoption process.  However, Rebecca was very feverish, as she was teething. The selected couple was afraid to take Rebecca, believing  her feverish state indicated something more dangerous. So, they decided not to proceed with Rebecca's adoption. Instead, another baby girl from Suixi was arranged for adoption, and driven up from Suixi. Rebecca ended up going to and from Suixi in the care of Mr. Han's wife (her primary caregiver). So, Rebecca had to wait another year to be matched with me as part of the third Suixi adoption group. She was 24 months old at the time and she had gotten very close to Mr. and Mrs. Han. When I received her, she cried very deeply for five days straight - as she grieved the loss of her Mama and Baba. It was hard for me to watch at the time. Mr. Han and the orphanage staff all agreed it was Rebecca's "fate" to be matched with me. Rebecca was happy to hear this story! And, the staff said that Rebecca was the more lively baby than the child the couple decided to adopt!

We then toured the third floor children's playroom. There were about 20 toddlers there. Some were obviously physically handicapped, with a missing arm, several children with cleft lip/palate, and some were mentally handicapped. I took pictures of many of them and immediately showed them the digital pictures. They clapped their hands with excitment. Elizabeth and Rebecca gave each child a small bag of candy. There was a set of twins, about 3 years of age, who stared quietly at us. I took a picture of Rebecca on the same rocking horse on which she was photographed for her referral picture. The playroom was adequate but not filled with many toys. We next went to one of the baby rooms. There were about 20 steel cribs latched together, with babies in most of them, sleeping or awake. The crib floors had no cushions on them, so the babies slept on hardwood flooring. It was so barren and spare. It was sad to see. There was one 3 to 4 year old in one crib whose hands were covered in gauze, who was tied to his crib so he would not try to get out. I decided not to take any photos, so as not to push the boundaries.

We then went back to the conference room. The entire building is about 7 stories, and we were told there were aorund 90 children at the SWI. This would mean most of the remaining children were hidden away because of the severity of their deformities.

Mr. Han said that about 90 children from this SWI had been adopted by American families. Of all the international adoptions, about 20 children have returned. Yesterday, a family from Katonah, New York had returned with a Suixi girl from Rebecca's original (first) adoption group (a cribmate of Rebecca). The SWI keeps a visitor book, listing all the returning children. We saw the information from the child from the previous day. I wrote down their name and phone number and will try to contact them when I return home. Rebecca entered her information and drew a picture of Mr. Han and herself holding hands and labeled it Shao Lian and Baba. Mr. Han was delighted.

Mr. Han gave me a huge hardcover book on the history of Suixi, with photos of the surrounding area, including one of the SWI building. He entered the date of our visit and inscribed it. I will ask one of our guides to translate it. We exchanged addresses and email addresses. He asked for any group photos we could provide of upcoming gatherings of Suixi girls. I was also asked to provide them with the Chinese names of the 3 other girls in the adoption photo I provided them from 2003.

We then went to have dinner with Mr./Mrs. Han, their 17 year old son, Miss Ye, Assistant Director, and her eight year old daughter, our guide, Yorkee Lee, our driver, Mr. Wu. This dinner was to honor our visit. We were asked what we would like to eat, and chicken (with head attached), shrimp , broccoli, pork, vegetables, white rice, and scallion pancakes were brought. Mr. Han furthered honored Rebecca and Elizabeth by placing food on each of their plates before the others. We all toasted with "gan bei" and clicked glasses of tea. All in all, we spent 5 hours with the orphanage director. Mr. Han asked Rebecca to learn Chinese before she next visits in 10 years, so that she can talk directly with the staff. Goodbye hugs were given all around. Then we left for the hotel.

Rebecca told me she was very happy with the visit and pronounced the day exciting and wonderful. I agreed with her, and was so pleased with the wonderful and warm response.

Tomorrow we head to Beijing.  Bye for now! 

Director Han and Rebecca at the SWI Gate

Ms Ye, Mr Han, Mrs Han, Ms Chen, and Mr Zhou with Rebecca



New Picture of Rebecca - Six Months





Rebecca's Original Referral Pictures





    

 

 



Elizabeth, Rebecca and Ms Ye's Daughter

 

Rebecca On Rocking Horse




 

Rebecca with Mommy in China - 11/2003

 


Assistant Director Ye With Rebecca

 

  










Rebecca With Doctor Chen and Assistant Director Zhou

 





Children At Orphanage



 



 

  























  





 







Zhanjiang - Wednesday, June 29, 2011

After another monsoonal rainfall, we left on China Southern for Zhanjiang, a city of 7 million on the South China Sea. Though bounced around in the storm, we landed safely. We were met at the airport by our guide Yorkee Lee (Ginger had Vincent as a guide). Zhanjiang was very humid, but free of industrial smoke. It is surrounded by beautiful green farming fields. It is at this juncture that Ginger and her girls separated from us, to head 1 1/2 hours north to Maoming and Olivia's orphanage at Dianbai. We headed into Zhanjiang to stay at the Zhanjiang Haibin Hotel, where the next day we would visit Rebecca's orphanage at Suixi.

After the luxury of the hotels in HK and Guangzhou, the Haibin Hotel ("4-star the Chinese say!!) seemed seedy and worn-down. It may have been the place to be 40 years ago, but now it is very tired and somewhat depressing! No one spoke English, so we felt very isolated. As soon as we unpack, we head out to walk the hotel grounds and some of the city streets. Despite being a city of 7 million, Zhanjiang is a third-tier, regional city in the slower-moving, southernmost China. But, believe it or not, there is one McDonald's in town, near our hotel. We decided to eat there, rather than eating the "interesting" Cantonese meals we had no idea contained what!! We then visited a shopping center/grocery store and picked up some familiar items (fruit, bread, tea, peanut butter for emergencies) to eat. We then walked around the city streets. I was the only caucasian person anywhere to be seen, and everyone stared at us, a few even took pictures! Elizabeth and Rebecca did not like being stared at, and wanted to go back to the hotel. So, we did, and took a nap!

Yorkee, our guide, arrived to discuss Thursday's trip to the orphanage. As the orphanage Director, Mr. Han, had a big meeting and lunch planned with outsiders, he asked that we come at 2:30pm and spend a few hours with them, so that they could focus on our questions and give us a tour of the orphanage, and Rebecca's finding site. When we asked what gift we could give the orphanage, Mr. Han asked for a box of baby formula. He did not want any personal gift, but wanted all money spent on needed formula for the babies and toddlers. Yorkee said she would purchase the formula with us before we visited the orphanage. I gave her a list of questions for Director Han.

She told me that Zhanjiang is a provincial city, and that many natives here are "narrow-minded" about adoption. While they think well of Americans, and are very curious about us (which is why they stare), Yorkee said many think it is "wrong" we adopt Chinese children, when they are only allowed one child. She says often this feeling is also due to jealousy, as our adopted children enjoy improved opportunities, a higher living standard, and more priviledges.

To get ourselves out of our room, Yorkee suggests a few restaurants and then a visit to the local movie theatre to see Kung Fu Panda 2! The girls did not want to eat at the restaurants (food pictures showed unappetizing and strange foods to them), so we ate ramen noodles, then went to the movies (in English with Chinese subtitles). Again, everyone stared at us!



Rebecca and Elizabeth at Haibin Hotel Driveway



Guangzhou - Tuesday, June 28, 2011



We woke up to monsoonal rain. So, we abandoned thoughts of a swim that morning. Instead, we packed, ate another sumptuous breakfast and headed to the train station for our trip to Guangzhou. It was a two hour train ride to Guangzhou, in mainland China.  We were beginning to get our travel clocks adjusted to the 12 hour time difference between Boston and China! Initially the scenery out the window was luscious and green, however, the closer we got to Guangzhou, the more industrial it got. At 3pm, we arrived and were met by our guide Winnie. Winnie was delightful and she quickly engaged all of us! On our 40 minute ride to the White Swan Hotel, we recited Chinese numbers, sang a Chinese children's song our girls learned in Chinese class, discussed our Zodiac signs and learned the population of the largest cities in China - Chunqing (33 million), Beijing (20 million), Shanghai (18million) and Guangzhou (13million).

We were also told about the Qingping Market (very famous and large) on Shamian Island, where scorpions, snakes, turtles, and baby alligators were available to purchase to cook and eat. Winnie assured us that the puppies, kittens, bunnies, and chipmunks we eould see were for sale as pets (and not eating) at the Qingping Market. Elsewhere, these animals are not sold as pets, but for delicacies to eat!

We were staying for the night at the 5-star White Swan hotel (the first 5-star hotel in China). Famous guests have included Queen Elizabeth II, Presidents Nixon and Bush, Deng Xioping, and Bill Gates. It also is known to the adoption community as the "baby hotel", as it is where most Americans (including Ginger and I) stay while we await the final stages of the adoption process, before we fly home to the US. It is located right next to the old US Consulate, where US IR3 stamps (temporary evidence of  lawful admission to the U.S.  for permanent residence) were placed in our adopted daughters' Chinese passports, after they have received medical clearance, and all the Chinese adoption paperwork is verified. The US Consulate has been relocated (in 2004) to the newer financial/business center of Guangzhou, although the old compound is still used for consulate housing. Shamian Island was the center of the international consulates/embassies beginning in 1910, and the beautiful western architecture (reminiscent of parts of Paris), is very lovely.

The girls were delighted by the luxury of the hotel. After checking in, we toured the old haunts to give the girls a sense of their history here. We visited the "red couch" where all the babies were gathered and photographed for the signature picture of this last stay in China. We took photos of the girls on the red couch, as well as in front of the large bamboo bird cage (holding various beautiful parrakeets), in front of the Coi fish pond and waterfall, and the various carved jade statues of a 1800s merchant ship, a classic Chinese pagoda, and life-size statues of tigers, rams and horses. We showed them the very elegant dining room, where our little girls had there their introduction to an incredible variety of food. I remember Elizabeth and Rebecca being ravenous to try all the foods, and the waitresses laughing at Elizabeth's buddha-belly as she gobbled down everything she could get her hands on!

We walked to the old US Consulate, where IR3 status was granted, allowing our girls to enter the US as American citizens as soon as they landed on US soil (Elizabeth in LA, Rebecca in Chicago). Then we showed them the park where they played, and the shops where we bought them their Chinese dresses. Then we brought them to the famous Qingping Market. Elizabeth and Hannah took pictures of everything, and the girls were all delighted to see, the expansive offerings of vegetables, grains, mushrooms, beans, noodles, herbs, fish, snakes, eels, and scorpions (big and small). This market shows the variety of foods Cantonese eat ("everything is eaten by the Cantonese", says Winnie)! The girls loved seeing the great variety of puppies, kittens, rabbits, chipmunks, fish and turtles, the Cantonese select as pets.

We then had dinner at the Thai restaurant (the "Cow and Bridge") Ginger and I remember dining at when we were last in Guangzhou. Then back to the White Swan Hotel. We spoke with several new adoptive parents, with little babies in tow. Since the slowdown in the amount of adoptions, the White Swan seems eerily quiet when compared to the huge numbers of parents adopting in the 2000-2005 period. We went to bed at 9pm, as we had a 4:30am wake-up call to be ready for leaving the hotel at 6am for the new Guangzhou Airport (second largest in the world, after the new Beijing International Airport). Our flight to Zhanjiang, in Southern China, was to leave at 8:15am and take an hour to arrive.





Red Couch at White Swan - Rebecca, Hannah, Elizabeth, Ella, Olivia

    



Bird Cage at White Swan - Olivia, Ella, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Hannah

  




Pickled Snakes for Sale

 

Scorpions For Sale









Hong Kong - Monday, June 27, 2011

We woke up around 6am, ate an extensive breakfast in the sumptuous buffet breakfast room. Then on to HK Disneyland by Metro. We spent about 7 hours at Disney. It was extremely hot and humid. By 5pm, we were all pretty beat, but Ginger and I were determined not to leave HK without visiting Victoria's Peak. So, we rode the metro into Central Station and walked to the Peak's Tramway. The Tram was another first for the girls and the views at the top, of the HK skyline, delighted them. But, we were hungry and very tired. We had a quick pasta dinner at the Peak, and then took a taxi to our hotel. We were all too tired to take the Star Ferry back to Kowloon, and to take a swim in the pool. Straight to bed!

Off to Hong Kong - Saturday, June 25, 2011 - Sunday, June 26, 2011

The ride to Logan Airport at 4am is smooth and quick and the 6am Boston flight to JFK is on time. We are taking Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, leaving at 10am. It is rated one of the best airlines in the world and the plane is a new 777-300 ER, with the latest technology on board and seating comfort. It was established in Hong Kong in 1946 by an American and a New Zealander and has one of the youngest fleets and tremendous service.

We arrive in HK at 2pm Sunday afternoon (2am Sunday morning EST- a 12 hour time difference). The kids all did exceptionally well with the 16 hour plane ride, as food was plentiful and a long list of movies and electronic games were available. Hannah, Elizabeth and Rebecca were excited to look out the window to see the arctic circle below - solid ice and snow, in the beginning of summer!

We were met at the airport by Redd, our guide from Lotus Travel. We were whisked in grand comfort to the Grand Harbor Hotel in Kowloon. This is a beautiful hotel located on the harbor. It is 15 minutes from Nathan Road, and the Star Ferry, but we like the quietness of this location. It is indeed "grand" and the girls are delighted by the beauty of the place.

We quickly unpacked, walked down the street to an Outback restaurant for an early dinner, and then back to the hotel for a swim in the beautiful rooftop pool, with a spectacular view of HK harbor. Everyone went to bed around 8pm, utterly exhausted.

Ready for the tour - Friday, June 24, 2011

Packing up to leave on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Our flight leaves Boston at 6am for NYC/JFK Airport. We will then catch a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong. We arrive in HK on Sunday, 2pm Sunday afternoon. Then the next day we will take the girls to Hong Kong Disney. Then tour around the city and Victoria Peak. Along with my friend Ginger, we travel with her daughters Hannah, 10, Olivia, 8, and Ella, 5, and then my two girls, Elizabeth, 11, and Rebecca, age 9. After two days in Hong Kong, we take a train to Guangzhou for a quick memory tour of the last stage of the adoption process that took place in 2001 (for Elizabeth) and 2003 (for Rebecca). From Guangzhou we fly to Suixi to visit Rebecca’s orphanage, then fly to Beijing to join a larger group of families touring China. We will be four full days in Beijing, then take an overnight train to Xian where we will visit the terracotta soldier museum. Then off to Chengdu to visit the panda breeding research base, where the girls will get to hold a baby panda. Then way south to Guilin where we will take a boat down the Li River amidst the stunning background of the karst mountains. While in Yangshuo, we will attend the colorful Liu Sanjie Impression show (created by the man who choreographed the Beijing Olympics!). Then we will visit Elizabeth’s orphanage in Jiangxi Province, and, finally, fly home through Hong Kong to arrive in NYC, and then Boston, Friday evening, July 15th. At each stop, I hope to provide more details on what we see and experience. Bye for now!