Sick Day

Due to illness, I will be taking the next couple of days off from this blog. I expect to be posting again on Feb. 1

Thanks for all of your support! January has had a record number of hits!!

Asian Doll

Michelle from APC a link for this Asian Doll, which can be ordered from Target.

Meili and Me

Meili & Me, an on-line store that sells "a unique line of clothing for little girls blending the beauty and grace of Asian design with the whimsy and playfulness of American denim," was just featured in the Charlotte Observer. (Free registration is required.)

In December 2000, Leslie Potter traveled to China to meet her adoptive daughter Meili. While there, she scooped up as many tiny silk outfits as possible on a shopping trip. About a year after her trip, the Boulder psychotherapist decided to create a line of play clothes for the tens of thousands of adopted girls like her daughter. The clothes would be Asian in style, patterned after authentic outfits brought home from China, but made from all-American denim for durability.

Meili & Me was featured on this weblog in September of last year.

T-Shirts

FCC NY has Year of the Monkey T-shirts for sale.

[The shirt is] designed by Ross Lewis Installation Artist, Instuctor of Traditional Chinese Brush Painting and Calligraphy, and FCC Dad. Ross has designed a playful monkey image with a long, swooping tail, a great reresentation of this year's Chinese Zodiac sign. The price of the shirt is $19 each . . . includes shipping & handling.

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Beautiful China

Local Stories

Adoption doesn't end on the return to America: Many people have stopped my husband, Eric, and me as we shop, eat and travel throughout Snohomish County: in Costco, at the post office, during breakfast at our favorite place in Marysville. Everyone has been warm and kind. We're getting used to the fact that it's not our magnetic personalities that people are interested in. It's the baby.

Newburgh family celebrates by remembering heritage: Myranda Moye, 7, leads a visitor to the curio cabinet in the music room of her parents' Newburgh home where three delicate ceramic statues represent young women from the Chinese provinces of Hubei, Jiangxi and Guangdong. Each is a symbol of where Myranda and her two sisters, Lyndsay, 5, and Kylee, 17 months, were born.

Happy New Year!

In pictures—Lunar New Year festivities

Love for Monkeys Heats up as Chinese New Year Sets in: The monkey, a symbol of cleverness and vitality, has found favor with the Chinese more than ever before as its sheepish predecessor, the sheep, prepares to cede its place on the Chinese Lunar New Year falling on Thursday.

Astronomical events forecast for upcoming Year of Monkey: As the Chinese Lunar New Year draws near, the Beijing Planetarium's "Amateur Astronomer" magazine on Wednesday told Chinese people of major astronomical events that will take place in the "Year of Monkey".

Supposed to be funny?

(Update: The "ad" has been removed from the webpage.)

As part of its "Actual Items" gags, the Late Night with Conan O'Brien recently showed a Best Buy ad for a digital camera.

Here is the caption that was inserted by NBC to make it "funny."

I fail to find the humor in this. If you also think this is in bad taste, consider writing the show an e-mail at: LateNight@nbc.com.

China-Themed Toys

Michelle from APC points us to www.lakeshorelearning.com, where you can purchase a Chinese food set. It includes:

A steamer, 3 kinds of dumplings, rice, stir-fried beef, 2 egg rolls, a moon cake and a bun. Egg rolls are 4".

Beautiful China

SARS News

WHO links Sars virus to animals: The World Health Organization says it has found evidence suggesting that civet cats do carry the Sars virus. Its inspection team in the southern Chinese province of Guangzhou found traces of the virus in a restaurant where a suspected Sars patient worked.

Quarantine of People from Bird Flu-hit Countries Intensified : China's State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (SAQSIQ) issued a circular Thursday urging its subordinate quarantine departments to step up quarantine over people from regions hit by bird flu. The circular calls on all local quarantine departments to take rigid measures, such as testing body temperatures and registering health conditions, to quarantine those from the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan and Vietnam, three Asian nations struck by the poultry disease.

News

Japan, China clash over Senkaku: China has protested after a Japanese coastguard ship fired a water cannon at two boats carrying Chinese activists near the disputed Senkaku islands.

Chinese Internet Surfers Hit 80 Million: China's Internet community has multiplied 128 times in a little more than six years, new statistics show. There are now about 80 million netizens in the country, a drastic jump from the 620,000 users recorded in 1997.

2008 Beijing Olympics

This is the official webpage for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

An e-mail group is available for those interested in receiving montly updates about the 2008 Olympics. Subscription information can be found here.

SARS News

Bird flu may dwarf SARS woes: The bird flu that has raced through chicken farms in Asia and killed at least 12 people in Viet Nam could become a bigger problem for the region than SARS, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

Poultry imports banned to ward off bird flu: China will enact major measures Thursday to halt poultry imports from countries hit by the bird flu. Live poultry and related products such as eggs and feather are all listed in China's ban against Vietnam, Japan, the Republic of Korea and other affected countries, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.

SARS News

World better prepared for SARS, but major challenges remain: The world is much better prepared to handle SARS than it was the last time around, but efforts to refine diagnostic tests, develop the right treatment and trace where the virus is coming from remain serious challenges, experts said Tuesday.

China slow to loosen media muzzle: Having breathed new life into China's press, Sars now looks as if it is helping stifle it again.

Bird flu 'may be worse than Sars': Bird flu could be "worse than Sars", if it mutates so it can spread between humans, experts have warned. Three deaths in Vietnam have been linked to the disease, which is affecting poultry across Asia.

News

China detains Taiwan 'spies': China has announced the detention of seven alleged spies from Taiwan, and said their cases were being investigated. The seven were arrested in December and stand accused of collecting information for Taiwan's military, China said.

US military chief visits China: The United States' most senior military official, General Richard Myers, has visited China's space programme hub. It was the first time a foreign delegation saw the mission control centre, from where China ran its first manned space mission last October.

Beijing imposes duties on steel: China is to impose tariffs of up to 55% on cold-rolled steel imports from five countries, which it says are hurting its domestic producers. The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing said that steel imports from Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Taiwan were being sold below cost.

SARS News

China Says Shenzhen Patient Is Not SARS Suspect: China debunked rumors on Tuesday that a sick man in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen was a possible SARS case, but a Hong television report said one of two earlier suspected had been confirmed as having the deadly virus. (Free registration required.)

WHO warns of Sars 'false alarms': The World Health Organization has warned that fear of the deadly Sars virus is causing false alarms in China. The news comes as Chinese media reported that a patient suspected of having Sars in the southern city of Shenzhen in fact has pneumonia.

Chinese Question Editor Who Broke SARS Story: An editor whose newspaper broke the news of China's first new SARS case was detained and questioned by prosecutors, a human rights center reported.

More wildlife being tested for SARS-related virus: Health authorities in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Monday launched a city-wide campaign to test major wildlife species, such as civet cats and snakes, for SARS-related viruses.

Adoption Benefits!

Fortune Magazine came out with their 2004 "100 Best Companies to Work For" (Jan 12, 2004 issue, p.58-79). Proctor and Gamble was rated 81st. One of the "What makes it so great?" entries was: Gives $5,000 in adoption assistance.

Video Recommendation

Responding to the question, "Could someone please recommend any good videos that deal with the subject of older Chinese/American adoptees," Michelle from APC recommends Love Without Boundaries:

I really enjoyed "Love without Boundaries" which I bought a copy of during our paperchase. It has some older adoptees and interviews with both their adoptive parents and them.

SARS News

China has third possible SARS case: China has confirmed a possible third SARS case, a 35-year-old man who has been isolated in hospital after showing symptoms of the respiratory disease. The official China Daily said on Monday the man was in the southern city of Guangzhou, where two other SARS cases, one of them confirmed, have been treated.

Rats beware as Sars hunt widens: The authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have begun eliminating rats in an effort to prevent another outbreak of Sars.

This time, airlines are set for SARS: Airline and health officials say the aviation industry is better prepared than last year for a SARS outbreak, with procedures in place to help limit the global spread of the flu-like illness and to protect passengers and crews from infecting one another. At the first hint of widespread infections, U.S., European and Asian aviation officials say, they will be ready to implement stringent passenger-screening measures before, during and after flights, and ground and flight crews now have extra training in managing potential cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Culture and Caution: The Chinese love their food—and the way they eat it: sitting around a table with common dishes in the center and everyone dipping their chopsticks in. There's a sense of bonhomie, a feeling of togetherness engendered by this way of eating. And they wouldn't want to have it any other way—the Western way of eating seems cold and clinical. But then struck SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) last year—and personal hygiene topped the menu.

Local Stories

'I can't believe she is finally in my arms': Last August, Michael and Rachel Steinberg and their 3-year-old daughter Olivia traveled with several other Colorado families to adopt babies in China. They flew from Denver to San Francisco, then to Hong Kong, where they stayed two nights before departing for Hefei in remote Anhui, Elyana's home province.

New year, new family: Thanks to the efforts of Centennial-based Chinese Children Adoption International, through which the Steinbergs adopted Elyana, Colorado is home to more than 1,300 children adopted from China.

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Making Changes

Over the next few weeks, China Adoption News will be migrating to new blogging software—pMachine—and a new server. This will improve a number of aspects of this blog.

If you try to access this page and get something odd, please don't be alarmed! I'll try to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Beautiful China

News

China sacks thousands of police: China has fired more than 30,000 police for lacking proper qualifications. The majority of those sacked were public security officials who had been improperly wearing police uniform and collecting fines and fees from the public.

New Book

Chiang Kai Shek : China's Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost

With a narrative as briskly paced and vividly detailed as an international thriller, this definitive new biography of Chiang Kai-shek masterfully maps the tumultuous political career of nationalist China's Generalissimo as it reevaluates his brave but unfulfilled life. Chiang Kai-shek was one of the most influential world figures of the twentieth century. The leader of the Kuomintang, the nationalist movement in China, by 1928 he had established himself as head of the government in Nanking. While he managed to survive the political storms of the 1930s, and although he was the only Chinese statesman of sufficient stature to attend the Cairo conference with Churchill and Roosevelt during World War II, Chiang's power was continually being undermined by the Japanese on one side and the Chinese Communists on the other. Once Japan met its unequivocal defeat in 1945, civil war again erupted in China, and four years later Mao Zedong claimed victory for the Communists. Featuring pages of photographs, and drawing extensively upon original Chinese sources and accounts by contemporaneous journalists, Jonathan Fenby unfolds a story as fascinating in its conspiratorial intrigues as it is remarkable for its psychological insights.

New E-Mail Group

ChineseAdoption-UK

This group is for anyone living in the UK, or Brits residing abroad, with an interest in Chinese adoption as it relates to the UK.

Subscription information can be found here.

Chinese Symbols Clip-Art

The Chinese Symbol Clip-Art Collection contains hundreds of symbols that can be looked up and used for free, as well other products that can be purchased:

[The CD contains the] 1000 most popular Chinese clip-art symbols of this site in 300 dpi high resolution JPEG format, created by professional writer Andres Leo. It's a very helpful tool for art designer, web developer and tattoo artist.

(Thanks Kieth from APC!)

New CD

Heidi from APC gives the following recommendation:

I thought that some of you might be interested in a new CD I have which I have not heard mentioned. It is called "Winds of Change" and it is by fellow China Adoptive father, Tim Chauvin. Tim and his wife Wynter just returned from China a couple of months ago after adopting their second daughter.

There is a song on the CD that Tim Wrote called "Daughters from China" that is awesome. Tim has a beautiful voice and you can tell he is singing this song from his heart. I think this would be a fantastic song to use in an adoption video. When I was playing the CD, my daughters ages 3 & 5 spontaneously started dancing. It was great. You can hear this song and others if you go to the website.

Featured Home Page

A nice adoption journal and lots of wonderful pictures can be found at Journey to Madison Mei.

SARS News

WHO expects more SARS scares due to common symptoms: Many more suspected SARS cases are likely to emerge because the symptoms match those of common winter diseases, the World Health Organisation said on Friday as it investigated the latest case to surface in China.

China steps up Sars civet cull: Authorities in China's southern Guangdong province are trying to meet a Saturday deadline for the slaughter of thousands of civet cats.

Rats Hunted in SARS Episode in China; New Case Is Confirmed: The confiscation and slaughter of civets continued in Guangdong Province, where officials trying to prevent a new outbreak of SARS also unveiled plans for a "patriotic campaign" to eradicate rats. Meanwhile, health officials announced that a new "suspected" case of SARS had been confirmed in Guangdong. (NY Times free registration required.)

SARS-Wary China Fights Rats and Roaches: SARS-wary southern China mobilized a mass cleanup effort Thursday, sweeping streets, slaughtering more civets and targeting the "four dangers"—rats, roaches, flies and mosquitoes—in its attack on creatures it suspects of carrying the virus.

Cook Book!

If you are looking for a cookbook, let me suggest Simple Thai & Chinese: Step-By-Step by Catherine Atkinson.

This book is nicely done. It is well-balanced to suit the needs of those who are less experienced with Thai and Chinese cooking, but at the same time offering something for those who are comfortable with the basics. The recipes are not complicated nor do they require hard-to-find ingredients. Many of the recipes come with a side-bar that includes "Helpful Hints", "Tasty Tips", and "Food Facts." These are a nice addition and I found nearly all of them to be useful. This book is chock full of beautiful, full-page photographs of the finished dish, as well as smaller photos of the various stages of preparation. If you had to have only one Thai/Chinese cookbook in your kitchen, this would be the perfect candidate.

It can be ordered used at Amazon.com or new at Barnes and Noble.

SARS News

China Waitress, TV Crew Spark New SARS Fears: A waitress in southern China was declared a suspected SARS case Thursday, and in Hong Kong three members of a television crew were being tested for the deadly virus, raising fears of a new outbreak days ahead of Asia's biggest holiday.

Police Raid China Newspaper That Reported New SARS Case: The police stormed the offices of one of China's most pugnacious newspapers and detained the top editor and six other officials in what many journalists regarded as retribution for aggressive reporting on a recent SARS case. (New York Times free requstration required.)

SARS News

China Sars man 'never ate civet': China's latest Sars patient says he has never eaten a civet cat, as the authorities in the southern province of Guangdong continue to slaughter thousands of the animals as an anti-Sars measure.

Slaughter of the Animals: The Xinyuan market reeks of animal waste and death. Trucks arrive daily with animals jammed into cages—cats, dogs, pigeons, boars, ostriches, even rats. The people who work in the market live in cages, too. They sleep above their shops, in tiny lofts with bars for walls. When they awoke on Tuesday they ran squarely into the local government's new war against SARS. Animal control officers in masks and smocks confiscated 148 animals, including civet cats, which some scientists believe are SARS carriers. The animals, relatives of the mongoose that would have ended up as a stew on local menus, earned no reprieve. (NY Times: Requires free regestration.)

Filipino Woman Has Pneumonia, Not SARS: A Filipino woman suspected of contracting SARS while working as a maid in Hong Kong has pneumonia, not the virus that killed 800 people around the world last year. (NY Times: Requires free regestration.)

Other News

Shenzhen to Become China's First City Without Rural Areas: A couple of weeks ago, 129 senior villagers in Bao'an District of southeast China's Shenzhen City received their first monthly pension, each one with 813 yuan (US$98) or more. Just the same as urban retirees, they now have a retirement certificate, a social security card and a pension deposit book. With the issue of Transitional Measures on Basic Pension Insurance of Urbanized People in Shenzhen's Bao'an and Longgang Districts on December 8, 2003, 152,000 villagers of former agricultural household registration in these two districts have joined in the social security system.

7-Eleven Says China Joint Venture OK'd: Convenience store king 7-Eleven Inc. said it won approval from China to develop outlets in Beijing and surrounding provinces in a move that boosts its access to China's increasingly wealthy consumers.

China mobiles outstrip landlines: China now has more mobile phones than it has landlines, new figures show. According to the data from the Ministry of Information Industry, subscriber numbers were up by more than 30% in 2003 to 269 million.

Local Stories

From China with love, for two local families: Two little baby girls from China filled the hearts of two families in Hillsboro to overflowing when they entered their lives in 2003. The family of Loren and Nolly Loewen adopted Hui Qing at the age of 10 months in August and named her Sofia-Grace Huiqing Loewen. The Bruce and Janell Heyen family adopted Ru Jie at the age of 10 months in December and named here MaryElena RuJie Heyen.

Couples raise funds to adopt: Two little girls—1-year-old Lily and 2-year-old Hahna, crib mates in a Chinese orphanage—are coming to America. More specifically, they'll be getting permanent homes in Summit County, where they'll continue to be part of each other's lives. Even so, Lily's and Hahna's long journey from a spare existence, plagued by severe health problems in China, to families here who promised to love them will be extremely costly.

Jane Liedtke to speak in the Pacific North West

Jane Liedtke, from Our Chinese Daughters Foundation will be in Seattle, WA on January 10th and Portland, OR on January 17th from 10 a.m. thru 6 p.m. for the OCDF Chinese Culture Fairs.

These events are FREE—bring the whole family! From 3:00-5:00 p.m. at each of these events I will speak about "Returning to China with your Adopted Child" and talk about how you can prepare your child for the trip back to China, what to consider, age appropriate issues, what happens at an orphanage visit, what's in an orphanage file, and the experiences of families who have brought their children to China on return visits. (Please note—Some of the content during this talk may not be suitable for those young children who have not heard open adoption conversations in the home. Please schedule such that your child will be playing in the Kid's Corner during this time). This is not a child-care provided event. Children who are old enough to play on their own with the older girls (like my Emily who is 11) will be fine. Babies/Toddlers should be with parents at all times.

Chinese New Year

Janet from APC provides this link with information about the Chinese New Year.

China Map

Jenn from APC shares a detailed map of China she found.

Book Recommendation

Mary Anne from APC recommends The Good Women of China.

The author, Xinran, tells the stories of several Chinese women that she meets through her radio show and each account is gripping. Most of the stories left a lump in my stomach as well as my throat...can't say much more as I am still processing so much of the book...just finished it this evening. It is a great place to start when embarking on learning about Chinese culture and history.

SARS News

New Chinese SARS case doesn't prove disease will be seasonal, experts say: Confirmation of a new case of SARS in China—the first non-laboratory acquired case in over half a year—is renewing concerns about the possible annual re-emergence of the potentially deadly and disruptive disease. But one case does not prove SARS will follow the pattern of influenza, experts insisted Monday.

SARS patient recovers, to leave hospital Thursday: The 32-year-old television producer in south China's Guangdong Province who has been confirmed as a SARS patient has fully recovered and will be discharged from hospital on Thursday.

China still a safe place to travel, says WHO: The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday, Jan. 5, in Beijing that China is still a safe place to travel even though the suspected case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong was finally confirmed as diagnosed one.

China speeds up Sars civet cull: China has pledged to complete by Saturday the slaughter of animals suspected of spreading the Sars virus. The government has started killing thousands of civets in the southern province of Guangdong.

Palm-civets—The cute new face of SARS: New findings from China scientists have linked the genetic structure of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) afflicting an unnamed 32-year-old television producer in Guangdong Provice to a very cute breed of civets sold in the province as food. But China's plan to kill 10,000 of the animals as a SARS control measure has alarmed the World Health Organisation—which is cautioning that a messy slaughter could actually spread the disease—and outraged animal activists and pet lovers around the world, largely because of erroneous media reporting that identifies the animal in question as a cat.

Other News

China closes 2,000 fireworks factories: Authorities in a northern Chinese province ordered more than 2,000 fireworks factories closed after a series of fatal explosions "sounded warning bells for the industry," the government said Saturday. The move came three days after the central government created teams to inspect fireworks factories and other work sites across the country after explosions at two fireworks factories in China that killed 46 people.

SARS News

China confirms SARS case in Guangdong: China's Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday confirmed the first diagnosed case of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), in south China's Guangdong Province, since the outbreak of the disease last spring.

Philippine govt reports two new SARS suspects: The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) Monday reported a Filipino woman and her husband as two new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) suspects.

Timeline—Sars virus: BBC News Online looks at the chronology of key events surrounding the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) virus.

China to Kill 10,000 Civet Cats in Effort to Eradicate SARS: Officials in Guangdong Province in southeastern China ordered this morning the immediate killing of every civet cat in captivity in the province after researchers found that a Guangdong man had fallen ill with a new strain of SARS virus that is genetically similar to a strain found in civet cats. (reg. required)

Other News

China pondering its own 'green card' system: With China-world economic ties becoming increasingly close, more foreigners are likely to pour in. Then should China institute a "green card" system? This means issuing permanent residence permits to foreigners who hope to live in China permanently? A recent interview by our reporter with entry/exit control departments reveals that the nation will introduce a "green card" system of its own in 2004.

Curing Capital's Congestion by 2008: raffic in Beijing is expected to improve so much that by 2008, the year this city hosts the summer Olympic Games, it will take less than half an hour for athletes to travel from the Olympic Village to every venue in the city.

China Related TV Guide

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Book Recommendation

Mary from MAC give us the following book recommendation:

Somebody on PAC recommended this book a couple of weeks ago so I checked it out of my local library and found that once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.

"Journey in Tears: Memory of Girlhood in China" by Chow Ching-li is the autobiography of a woman born to an affluent family in Shanghai in 1936. She writes an engaging account of life as a girl growing up in the upper-middle class in the years before the Cultural Revolution.

When her family gets an opportunity to marry her off to the eldest son of one of the richest families in China, she is married...at age 13! The account of her traditional Chinese wedding (1500 guests) is quite interesting. This book is not as depressing as some of the others I've read about women's lives in China. There are hard times but her life has a happy ending.

In this author's view, the Cultural revolution was a good thing that brought an end to some of the more barbaric customs that made Chinese women's lives so difficult and constrained. Definitely a good read!!

Note that the book is out of print, and not available at Amazon.com.

Beautiful China

China Map

Chinese Folk Art offers a large fold-out map of China

(Thanks Roberta from APC!)

News

Chinese tea 'may cure jaundice': A herbal tea used widely in China to treat jaundice could soon be used by doctors in the West. Scientists in the United States have found that Yin Zhi Huang (YZH) can stop the build-up of a type of bile that causes the condition.

WHO lauds China over suspected SARS case: The World Health Organization lauded medical officials in southern China for their efforts to determine whether a sickened man has SARS—praise that was welcomed Saturday by a government initially denounced for its sluggish response to the disease.

Valuable oracle bones unearthed in NW China: Chinese archaeologists have discovered two oracle bones, including one inscribed with the most number of characters ever in a single find, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Local Story

Swannanoa family begins new year together: At the age of 11, TJ Ogron, of Swannanoa, had never seen Christmas lights before. Until seven months ago, TJ lived behind locked doors in an orphanage to the far north of Shanghai. That's why last week, when TJ's dad took him on a tour of the holiday lights displays around the houses in Swannanoa, he could not conceal his delight and amazement.

News

China says patient may have SARS coronavirus as foreign tests begin: China said initial tests showed a man at the centre of a SARS scare may indeed have the coronavirus linked to the disease, but the World Health Organization said it was still waiting for lab results from abroad.

Japan war shrine visit sparks row: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has made a New Year visit to a controversial war shrine. The visit prompted a swift rebuke from China, whose deputy foreign minister expressed "righteous indignation" on behalf of the people of Asia.

China's entrepreneurs cash in on odd jobs : Chongqing, the world's biggest municipality is a powerful manufacturing hub. But it also has a rather unique service industry - the "bang bang" or oddjobbing migrant worker.

Chinese Police Told to Deal With Media: Here's a new notion for China: a publicly accountable police force. The Ministry of Public Security said Friday that police departments across the country must start issuing regular news releases to "promote transparency of police affairs." (NY Times req. free registration)

Happy New Year