Adopted twins seek their Chinese root

By Han Manman

Peter Golder, an American professor, said adopting twins from China 11 years ago was the best thing he ever did. The girls have brought him and his family much happiness.

The Golder family is lucky. For many foreign families who want to adopt from China, the process has become much trickier than before.

As a result, the number of Chinese children adopted by Americans has dropped sharply, reaching its lowest level since 1999.

Seeking roots

The Golder family just returned to the US last week after a month-long trip in China. As a visiting professor at the Guanghua School of Management in Peking University, Golder and his wife have decided to take their adopted Chinese twins to China every three years for the girls to see the rapid changes of their motherland. This summer was the second of their trips.

During the trip, the family traveled to Dalian, Shanghai, Fujian and Wuhan. While much has changed – there are fewer bicycles and more skyscrapers – a constant has been the warm reception the family has received from Chinese people everywhere, Golder said. Wherever they traveled, people would want to talk to them and learn more about them.

“People in China always want to know our story,” he said. “They are attracted by the twins, as seeing adopted twins with foreign parents is unusual.”

He added that the encounters are always positive, and that the Chinese often give him and his family a thumbs up.

“Even though our conversations are so basic, we are all happy to share our experiences,” Golder said. “We want the girls to be familiar with China and to be comfortable with being Chinese.”