This study examines the motivations and experiences of adoptedChinese children and their American parents who have made return trips to mainland China to learn more about children's pre-adoption histories. Using in-depth interviews and ethnographic data from five families that visited children's home provinces, orphanages, and abandonment locations between 2005 and 2007, this research explores the following themes: why parents and children felt it was important to return to China; individuals' lived experiences while in China; and, after the trip, which questions regarding children's early lives were resolved and which new ones emerged. Findings suggest that parents and children have varied expectations, experiences, and opinions about returning to China. Therefore, delineating parental desires and needs from those of children is critical.
This is the first study to investigate the trend of adopted individuals from China who search for and reunite with their birth parents. The authors suggest that the closed nature of China's international adoption program and growing ethical concerns about children's true origins impact the desire to search. Due to the generally younger ages of Chinese adoptees, adoptive parents have taken an unprecedentedly proactive role in this process. This article relies on in-depth interviews with adopted children and adoptive parents from seven Western families who reunited with Chinese birth parents. Interviews focused on the decision to search and methods used; the initial reunion; the development of bonds between adoptive and birth families; and post-reunion views of searching.
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