New Children's Book

Just Add One Chinese Sister is a new children's book for ages 4-8.

This lively picture book, based on a true story, is about an American family's adoption of a little Chinese girl. The story is told partly from the perspective of the girl's older American brother, Conor. As the book begins, Mommy and toddler Claire are having fun making a scrapbook about Claire, with photos, papers, and bits and pieces that show how the family went to China to get to know a little girl named Guan Yu and how they brought her home with them and, at Conor's suggestion, added Claire to her name (Claire Guan Yu). Enlivening the family's stories are Conor's journal entries, beginning with his anxiety and jealousy, and then gradually revealing the siblings' bond. The story is in the details, which are honest about Claire's initial fear and, later, her mischief and the joyful family love. Expressive watercolor artwork, in bright hues, depicts the warm and intense feelings. Adoptive families will welcome this.

Taiwan

One blogger evidently thinks the US has been a bit soft on China's law giving its military a legal basis to attack Taiwan if the island moved toward independence.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave China a stern warning today regarding their military buildup and publicly expressed plans to conquer Taiwan: "If you attack and conquer Taiwan using excessive force, we just might get annoyed. Maybe even irritable. For a while, anyway."

See a news article about Rice's statement here.

Taking a break

I will be unable to post to China Adoption News for the next few days. I expect to start up again Thursday, March 17.

Local Story

Another Adoption For Wordhouse Family: After the four year legal battle it took to finally adopt their son Jacob, a Grand Rapids couple says adopting a little girl from China was comparatively easy.

Silk Road

Chinese vendors lose a market they built: On a chilly morning last December, Zhu Dingya huddled with other merchants outside the Silk Alley market, one of the city's most prominent attractions, and inspected a notice tacked to the entrance. His fears were confirmed: The local government was tearing the place down.

Divorce in China

China's divorce rate 21.2% up in 2004: China saw 1.613 million couples divorced in 2004 while 8.341 million couples registered to marry that year, according to statistics of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

China tries to stem soaring divorce rate: Chinese authorities are sending "think again" letters to couples applying for divorce after the number of people ending their marriages surged by 21% last year.

Women and Children

Legal Protection for Women, Kids to Improve: Improvements to the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women (commonly known as the Women's Law) and the Law on the Protection of Minors have been included in the legislative plan of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

Criminal Penalties Mulled for Gender-based Abortions: Members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) called on Saturday for a new criminal law prohibiting gender-based abortion and fetal gender identification for non-medical purposes.

Rewards Give Impetus to One-child Policy: Zhang Jianli and Wang Shulian, an old couple in a village of Chengde in north China's Hebei Province, recently received 1,200 yuan (US$144) in rewards from the local government for sticking to the government's one-child policy.

Gender equality hits mainstream: China has made formidable efforts to move women into the mainstream of society, relieve poverty among them, and protect their human rights and increase educational opportunities for girls, experts say.

China Related TV

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

News

More Cliff Paintings Found in NW China: Seventy-two cliff paintings were recently discovered at Helan Mountain in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region during a general survey on cliff paintings in the region.

Chinese Adviser Urges Lip Synching Ban: Chinese government advisers meeting in Beijing this week have some weighty matters to discuss: blocking Taiwan's formal independence, alleviating dire poverty in the countryside. And lip synching.

Guangzhou: With Chinese from all over the country flocking to this city to fuel its booming economy, Guangzhou is pushing to reclaim its roots as the major trade and manufacturing center of China.

Beautiful China